Cold Stress Prevention Requirements
Under OHS laws, you have a duty to protect workers against exposure to extreme cold regardless of which part of Canada you’re in and whether exposed workers are indoors or outdoors.
In Canada, the legislation from some jurisdictions provides a range of acceptable temperatures for specific circumstances. Where there are no maximum/minimum exposure limits for cold working environments, there are guidelines that can be used to conduct work/task assessments, create safe work plans, and monitor conditions to protect the health and safety of workers who may be exposed to cold temperatures.
Winter weather exposes workers to cold temperatures, high winds, icy conditions and snow or sleet—and thus to the risk of cold stress and dangerous conditions, such as frostbite and hypothermia.