PAGE 17
WEEKLY EDITION DECEMBER 4, 2019
Co ld W e at he r Pre ca u tio n s
By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director…continued from page 14
Personal Safety
If you live where it is only cold occasionally, you may not need to worry about the effects of
extended cold. In those areas it may make sense to start the route later in the day so that both
people and equipment are warmer.
When cold is extreme or likely to last for extended periods, be sure you and your workers take
extra
precautions to avoid frostbite and hypothermia.
• Make sure service technicians have and wear appropriate clothing including breathable
fabrics, face coverings when temperatures are below 15 degrees F, and gloves for
warmth that will fit inside their rubber gloves.
• In snowy or icy conditions, boots with cleats are essential.
• Keep the gas tank in the truck above half full to prevent
freezing of gas lines and to
ensure your driver has a safe place to warm up. Cold days are often short days. Be sure
your team has headlamps for working in the dark.
It's going to be a long winter. Do you have other tips for portable sanitation operators? Send
them to karleenk@psai.org and we'll cover them in a future edition of Association Insight. –K.K.
