It’s not the general article you will find on the internet on snow removal safety. It doesn’t have the focus on not bending too much or using the right shovel. It goes beyond that and imparts you with the knowledge that’s life-saving and life-changing. Are you ready for that?
Meals that can help you fight the frost
Most of the health issues can be connected with improper diet. If you’re not healthy, you run a higher risk of getting injuries while working on a snow removal job. For example, if you already have a respiratory disorder, a strenuous activity will get you exhausted and close to severe health damage. But if generally, you’re healthy and fit for the job, you can incorporate the following food items in your diet to maintain yourself.
- Nuts and dry fruits: Begin with changing the unhealthy snacks in your diet to healthier ones – almonds, groundnuts, cashew nuts, etc. are quick sources of energy. They are great to munch on while you’re working on a large area.
- Fresh Fruits: Fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges are another great source of energy. Take a bit when you feel exhausted and you will experience a fresh pang of energy in minutes.
- Hard-boiled eggs: They’re a rich source of energy imparting compounds. But other than that, regular intake of these will make your bones stronger. The fat in hard-boiled eggs is healthy for the heart as well. Overall, it’s a great food product to include in your winter diet, especially on days when you’re going to remove tons of snow from your property.
You have two great snacks that can help you fight exhaustion while you’re at work and one great food item that can make you a healthier person overall. What’s next?
Hypothermia and other dangers of thick snow
Every year, weird things are found after the thick layer of snow clears out. There are also victims of hypothermia most of which sadly lose their lives. Another danger is when you remove the snow while not knowing what you’re going to find under the layers.
For example, a woman from Boston once found her car after seven weeks of efforts, but it didn’t stay in its best shape. The windshield was broken, and the car had a dented roof. A broken windshield means scattered glass pieces which may be damaging. You may cut your hand or seriously injure yourself. And trust me! Injuries in winters are much more painful than otherwise.
So, we have two major health issues associated with thick layers of snow – you may be a victim of an unfortunate event that can turn out to be fatal if you’re not careful or you may injure yourself while working. Take precautions to avoid both of them. Get out of your car if you fear getting stuck in snow for an extended period. Don’t drink during the days of heavy snowfall. You may not make the best decisions for yourself if you’re drunk. Be careful while clearing out the snow.
More on personal safety during snow removal
The technique is important and wrong technique may result in injuries. But we have already discussed such issues in our previous snow removal tips blogs. Today, we’re just talking about other safety issues. Here are some tips to tackle them.
- Know your surroundings while you’re working. There are several possibilities of accidents if you’re not careful of what’s around you.
- Headphones aren’t a good option while you’re on the job. You can simply not follow step 1 if you’re wearing headphones.
- Try to work with a companion. Sometimes, the job is excruciating, and you may get dehydrated or exhausted. You must have somebody to check on you in case you lose strength.
- Don’t tire yourselves up too much. If you feel tired, give yourself a break. Drink water, have some snacks and after your body has rested for a while, get back to work.
The most slippery areas: Be careful around these
Removing snow in some parts is trickier than usual. The examples of such areas are given below.
- Curbs: The biggest risk around these is spraining your ankle while stepping on or off these. Moreover, with a thick pile of snow, you can easily miss these unless you know the property very well.
- Getting out of the vehicle: You may have a bad fall if you’re not careful while stepping out of your vehicle. Wear nonslippery shoes and get out carefully. It’s a general tip that you must imply even when you’re not doing snow removal and just having a regular day.
- Entrance: they’re often slippery. Either it’s because of too many people stepping into a dry area which will have leftovers of snow that’ll melt to cause an invisible slippery layer on the entrance or it’s because of people going out without realizing they need to slow down outside due to snow. The steps and ramps, usually at the entrance, are very prone to being slippery and causing accidents.
Beware of the deadly combination – Snow & Ice
- Falling icicles: These cause as much as 15 deaths every wear. It may seem like a small number, but it may happen to anybody, including you. Be careful around the icicles. Watch out while you move around.
- Black ice: It’s a thin transparent layer of snow that forms on the road during rainfall while the road is already at 0 degrees. The layer is very thin and almost undetectable, hence can cause several road accidents.
- Staying in vehicle during snow fall is dangerous: If you get stuck in the snow, don’t stay in your vehicle for a long time. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real phenomenon that may happen while you take a nap with the engine on. Don’t sleep in the car and always ensure you don’t get stuck inside the vehicle while you’re waiting for the snow to clear out. Get out of it.
These are the major snow removal safety concerns I wanted to discuss with you. I hope these will help keep you and your loved ones safer during the winter. For more information on snow removal, visit here.
