Cold rooms and other confined spaces
Refrigeration and freezing of meat is an important part of the meat retail industry. Cold rooms, chillers and freezers may present some risks to workers, including temperature and confined space risks.
You need to consider the following things that may affect the degree of risk with cold rooms:
- temperature
- air movement
- length of exposure
- workers clothing, and
- physical activity of the worker.
Ways to control hazards
- Make sure handling of frozen meat is limited in time to avoid hands and fingers losing feeling due to cold.
- Rotate workers so no one person is in a cold environment for long periods of time.
- Wear protective clothing. The clothing layer closest to the skin should be able to absorb sweat, especially if the activities involve physical exertion such as lifting, while the outside layer should be waterproof. More on protective clothing.
- You need to consider that some people are more sensitive to cold than others.
Last updated October 5, 2005
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