Wrap Yourself in Core 6 to Stay Safe and Warm This Winter
For parks and maintenance crews, winter weather means more than donning a heavier coat and a warm hat. It means continuing to follow PIPP and Core 6 practices.
Core 6 enhances PIPP’s focus on the specific injury areas that cost PDRMA members the most: slips, trips and falls; lifting and bending; pulling and pushing; and twisting and turning. Following Core 6 concepts year-round helps ensure staff safety and reduces injury risks.
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Equipment
- Do you have the correct equipment?
- Will additional equipment make the job safer?
30 Second Site Safety Walk Through
- Have you conducted the walk through?
- Have you removed or corrected any safety hazards?
Personal Protective Equipment
- Are you wearing the necessary PPE?
3 Points of Contact
- Are you using 3 Points of Contact when climbing on/off equipment?
Reversal of Posture/Stretching
- Have you conducted warm-up stretches and/or stretched during breaks?
Best Practice Lifting
- Move straight up and down. Use your legs and limit bending your back.
- Keep your elbows close to your body. Try not to reach.
- Move your feet. Minimize twisting your body.
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“Muscles need to warm up before strenuous activity — especially in cold weather — and repeating those exercises during breaks throughout the day helps maintain the flexibility you need,” explains Bill Hooker, PDRMA Training Programs Supervisor. “And using correct PPE, doing a 30 Second Site Safety Walk Through and observing 3 Points of Contact guidelines are essential to ensure your safety any time of year.”
Although it might be tempting to just get in the truck and out of the cold instead of doing a 30 Second Site Safety Walk Through, remember that snow can cover obstacles or obscure your vision from the vehicle, so only a close-up view ensures the coast is clear before you put that truck or snowplow into gear.
The same applies to PPE. It might take a short time to climb your sled hill for an inspection, but it only takes seconds to wipe out on a slippery patch — because you didn’t bother to put on a pair of ice cleats. “Better safe than sorry is a great risk management proverb for winter,” adds Hooker.
Core 6 addresses proper lifting techniques as well, an important consideration when it comes to snow removal. Saturated snow weighs approximately 20 pounds per cubic foot, so an afternoon of shoveling a 100-foot walkway is like moving a ton of snow — literally!
Take advantage of these PDRMA resources to provide a Core 6 refresher for employees as they suit up for the winter season.
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