Cold rooms are used a lot on commercial level because they provide a lot of extra storage space. They can store large bulks of food products and keep it fresh and nutritious for a long time. Cold rooms have an excellent temperature range and also lot accessories which allow you to use the cold room with a lot of ease and efficiency.
Working in a cold room is not very easy because damp conditions are not very comfortable to work in. even if the workers are working in the room for just an hour or so, it can be very uncomfortable. Workers, who have to prepare food in the refrigerated enclosure called the cold rooms for an eight hour shift, find the damp conditions highly uncomfortable to work in. workers working at the temperature of 40 F can have a declining performance and there is also a chanced of them getting hurt.
There are certain safety precautions that can be very helpful in making sure that the workers are safe and are able to give their best performance. It is important to follow certain tips when working under the freezing temperature. When it comes to safety measures, the cold rooms UK are mostly an overlooked area when it comes to work related cold-stress. Employees rarely find any guidelines to help them do their work efficiently and to cope with the uncomfortable and damp conditions.
The researchers of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), published a report in which they provided information on how the employees and workers can protect themselves in the unique and uncomfortable environment of the cold room.
The researches of NIOSH found certain factors, which are the cause of the discomfort of the employees. They are:
- The air drafts.
- Not wearing gloves because it is thought that the bulky structure of the gloves may hinder the dexterity of the tasks, which require fineness of hand and the fingers.
- The employees are not trained properly to work in the unique conditions of the cold rooms or freezer room.
Based on these factors the researches provided certain safety tips which can be very helpful in working efficiently in the conditions of the cold store. These tips are as following:
It is very important to install the equipment to reduce the drafts and the condensation. It can really help in improving the conditions for the employees. This can really boost up the performance of the employees.
The employees should always be given the glove liners. These glove liners should be worn under the required plastic gloves. This can make your hands warm and make them function much more efficiently. You cannot work efficiently with freezing hands.
The employees should always be encouraged to change their clothes once they become wet. The wet clothes can make the working very uncomfortable and can be bad for the health as well. It is important to make the employees aware of the hazards that wet clothes can cause to your health so changing them from time to time is important.
There should be a rotation of employees between the cold and warm regions.
Hand warmers should be installed and the work which requires dexterity should be minimized in the cold rooms.
These tips can really help your employees to work efficiently in the cold rooms.
