Posted In Health Tips on December 14, 2023
With milder weather lasting longer, winter weather might leave you unprepared. Reviewing some of these tips may help you or your family members avoid winter hazards, accidents and injuries.
Walking
- Walk slowly, take small steps for stability and use handrails for support, especially on steps.
- Don’t keep your hands in your pockets or try to carry too much, so you can use your hands for balance.
- Wear proper footwear. Avoid heels and smooth soles. Wear boots to keep your feet dry.
- Wear a heavy, bulky coat that could cushion you if you should fall.
- When entering a building, remove as much snow, ice, and water from your footwear as possible. Avoid slipping on wet floors caused by previous foot traffic.
Driving
- Watch out for black ice on roads, bridges, or overpasses when temperatures are below or near freezing.
- Anticipate ice under the snow if road treatments are delayed due to rain falling before the snow.
- Reduce speed and increase following distances. Don’t use cruise control when driving on snow or ice.
- Clean all snow and ice from windshield, windows, lights, hood and roof before driving. This improves your visibility and helps keep these items from breaking loose from your vehicle and impacting or causing a hazard for vehicles behind you.
Exertion
- According to the American Heart Association, sudden exertion — like shoveling heavy and wet snow — can cause a heart attack in individuals with pre-existing heart conditions like heart failure, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Cold weather can increase heart rate and blood pressure. It can make blood clot more easily and constrict arteries, which decreases blood supply. This is true even in healthy people, or individuals over the age of 40, or those who are relatively inactive.
- Pushing a heavy snow blower can also lead to exertion and also can cause injury. Be sure to keep your hands away from the moving parts, and to turn the blower off if it jams.
Exposure
- Being outdoors in freezing temperatures and high wind can lead to dangerous conditions such as hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) and frostbite (freezing of extremities such as the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes).
- Dress warmly for the cold, including hat, gloves, warm socks, and boots.
Don’t remain outdoors for long periods, especially if you have poor blood circulation, or have been drinking alcohol, or use illicit drugs. - Encourage young children to come in for dry clothing if their coats, gloves, or socks get wet.
Ice
- Especially when evening temperatures dip below freezing after some rain or fog, be prepared for black ice which may not be noticeable on walkways, stairs, and road surfaces.
- With recent unseasonably warm weather conditions, any ice on ponds or other bodies of water will be too thin and too dangerous to be on safely.
- Beware of ice covered with snow. Snow can insulate ice and keep it from freezing and can hide cracks and other weak spots.
- The most important thing to remember when a person or animal falls through the ice is to not become a victim yourself. First, call 911 for help, and then throw them something like a long stick or pole for them to hold onto until help arrives.
- Always keep your pets on a leash, especially near icy ponds.
Sledding
- According to the National Safety Council, sleds and toboggans account for over 20,000 visits to the emergency room each year. Often these injuries occur when hitting a stationary object or when the rider falls off. Riders should sit or lay on their back on top of the sled with feet pointing downhill; never sled head first.
- Don’t sled near any area littered with trees, fences and poles, or near ponds, lakes and roads.
- Never pull a sled behind a moving vehicle such as a car, truck, or four-wheeler. The sled could hit a stationary object, be pulled into the path of another vehicle, or make contact with the pulling vehicle.
- Dress warmly with thick gloves and boots to help prevent frostbite or injuries.
Travel
- Be aware of current and forecasted weather conditions, not only locally, but also along the way to your destination.
- Be aware of any National Weather Service advisories and delay any non-essential travel until the advisories are dropped. If you must travel, inform a friend or family member of your expected route and time of arrival. Ask them to notify authorities if you are late arriving.