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Now is the time to prepare for winter hazards
Check out our tips for preparing for cold winter days and nights on the farm.
Subscribe to Ohio Safety Congress & Expo® updates
Registration for the 2024 Ohio Safety Congress & Expo® (OSC24®) opens this month! Be the first to know and register for our email list. Want extra OSC24® information? Follow our new LinkedIn page.
The gift of hearing
Noise induced hearing loss is a gradual process caused by exposure to hazardous levels of noise. You won’t notice any difference from one day to another, but over time it will become harder to hear. Watch this video to learn more.
OHID is coming!
The OHID pre-registration for our external customer logins is now underway. In early 2024, BWC customers will begin logging in using OHID and 2-Step Verification, replacing existing e-account login credentials.
New Ohio workers’ compensation claims dashboard
As part of the joint research effort between BWC and The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), NIOSH has published a dashboard summarizing Ohio workers’ compensation claims
2022 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) Data for Ohio
BWC has released the 2022 data for occupational injuries and illnesses in Ohio. The Ohio private industry non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses total recordable cases (TRC) incident rate was lower than that of all neighboring states.
January BWC in-person training, safety webinars, and virtual training classes
The BWC has numerous safety training opportunities for you and your employees.
 Monthly safety topic
Shoveling and walking safety tips
Preparation is key, think about your favorite professional sports team – athletes don’t get off the couch and start a game, you see them warming up and stretching. Always stretch before shoveling snow. Athletes wear the right gear, so should you. Wear your high traction boots/shoes, wear gloves (mittens are preferred), warm hat and comfortable coat. Check the temperature before heading out. Freezing weather increases heart rates and blood pressures, reducing blood supply to the heart and other organs. Being sedentary for several months, can put a big strain on the heart.
Use these tips to shovel snow safely:
- Do not shovel after eating or while smoking
- Take it slow and stretch out before you begin
- Shovel only fresh, powdery snow; it's lighter
- Push the snow rather than lifting it
- If you do lift it, use a small shovel or only partially fill the shovel
- Lift with your legs, not your back
- Do not work to the point of exhaustion
- Know the signs of a heart attack, and stop immediately and call 911 if you're experiencing any of them; every minute counts.
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 BWC Library question of the month
A question received by the library over the past month with our response.
Question: What resources are available for our company to help prepare for winter weather? We have employees that work outside, and we want to protect them from cold stress.
Answer: OSHA has a safety and health topics page on winter weather that provides recommendations on preventing cold stress and preparing for other hazards, such as falls, poor driving conditions, ergonomic injuries, and more. The CDC provides a safety page on winter weather that gives tips on preparing for winter storms and provides a helpful list of symptoms for hypothermia and frostbite. A good way to stay informed about weather conditions in your local area is by using the local map function on the National Weather Service’s site. You can look up weather by zip code to help keep your workers informed about what kinds of protective clothing to wear or what possible precautions they might have to take while working outside. BWC’s Safety Services has created a cold stress safety talk to help train your employees for working in cold weather. For a full list of safety talks, you can find them on BWC’s safety talks page.
If you need help with understanding winter weather workplace safety, contact BWC’s Safety Services. Consultation services are free for employers with a BWC policy.
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 Other safety news
Head protection: Safety helmets in the workplace
A new Safety and Health Information Bulletin from OSHA describes differences between safety helmets and traditional hard hats. OSHA recently announced that they are replacing the traditional hard hats used by OSHA employees with safety helmets for better protection. “The agency recommends safety helmets be used by people working at construction industry and the oil and gas industry; in high-temperature, specialized work and low-risk environments; performing tasks involving electrical work and working from heights; and when required by regulations or industry standards.”
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries summary, 2021
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released the fatal work injury data summary for 2021. There were 5,190 workplace fatalities in 2021 which was an 8.9% increase over 2020. The US fatal occupational injury rate was 3.6 which was the highest since 2016. Ohio reported 171 fatalities.
The Ohio BWC Library of BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene compiles and distributes this newsletter each month.
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BWC's Division of Safety & Hygiene provides a variety of programs, services, and resources to help Ohio employers create a safe and healthy workplace.
Visit bwc.ohio.gov or email BWCDSH@bwc.state.oh.us or call 1-800-644-6292.
Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Vision: To transform BWC into an agile organization driven by customer success.
Mission: To deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. Core Values: One Agency, Personal Connection, Innovative Leadership, Relentless Excellence.
Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio, serving 257,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,600 employees and assets of approximately $21 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. For more, visit bwc.ohio.gov.
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