Winter Safety: Outdoor Safety Tips for Adults and Children
With winter here, it’s best to be prepared for common risks and hazards that can occur when outdoors. Thin ice, sledding accidents, or possible hypothermia from staying outside for too long are just a few reasons to take the proper precautions to stay safe.
General Safety Tips for Adults & Children
FOR ADULTS
Take It Easy
Cold temperatures can put extra strain on your heart. Heavy exertion such as shoveling snow, clearing debris or pushing a car can increase the risk of heart attack.
Don’t Overheat
Dress warmly by layering your clothing. By layering, if you become to warm you can peel layers as necessary to stay comfortable.
Slow Down
Rest frequently to avoid overexertion when working outdoors. If you feel chest pain, stop. Seek help immediately.
Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water before and while you are working outside Even though staying hydrated seems more like something associated with warmer temperatures, staying hydrated while outside in colder temperatures is just as important.
Stay Alert
Know the signs of frostbite and hypothermia.(I would probably include some of warning signs of hypothermia here) Be sure to warm extremities frequently to avoid frostbite
FOR KIDS
Stay Inside
During snowstorms, blowing snow and cold can make it hard to see and easy to get lost — even close to home. Wait until the storm is gone to go outside.
Dress Appropriately
When going out to play after a storm, dress in snowsuits or layers of clothing, waterproof coat and boots, mittens or gloves, and a hat. Avoid cotton clothing or socks as they soak up water and offer little warmth. Body heat is lost through the head, so always wear a hat or hood. Cover your ears, too. They are easily subject to frostbite. Wearing gloves is also important and mittens are even better because fingers maintain warmth when they touch each other. Also, consider wearing a scarf to cover your mouth to protect your lungs from cold air.
Warm-Up
Go inside often for warm-up breaks. Long periods of exposure to severe cold and wind can increase the risk of frostbite or hypothermia. If you start to shiver a lot or get very tired, or if skin turns numb or pale on your nose, fingers, toes, or earlobes, go inside right away and tell an adult!
Stay Near Adults
Always play near home or where there are adults nearby who can help you. Even familiar places can look different in winter, so don’t get lost.
Stay Away from Streets and Snowplows
Plows can’t slow down or turn quickly, and the snow and salt they throw is dirty and can be harmful. Cars may slide on wet and slippery roads so stay as far away as possible from traffic areas.
Stay Away from Lakes and Ponds
Unless a lake or pond has been checked by an adult for thickness and safety, stay off the ice.
Thin Ice
When is ice safe? There really is no sure answer. You can't judge the strength of ice just by its appearance, age, thickness, temperature, or whether or not the ice is covered with snow. Strength is based on all these factors. In addition, the depth of water under the ice, size of the water body, water chemistry and currents, distribution of load on the ice and local climate conditions all play a factor.
Ice safety | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)
Frostbite and Hypothermia
Frostbite is the freezing of skin and extremities on the body. The nose, cheeks, ears, fingers, and toes (your extremities) are the most commonly affected parts of the body. Everyone is susceptible, even people who have been living in cold climates for most of their lives.
In very cold weather, a person's body can lose heat faster than they can produce it. The result is hypothermia or abnormally low body temperature. It can make a person sleepy, confused, and clumsy. Because it happens gradually and affects one's thinking, it may not be immediately recognized.
Snow Shoveling
While shoveling snow can be good exercise, it can also be deadly for optimistic shovelers who take on more than they can handle. Shovel smart with these tips from weather.gov.
