Why Is Snow Shovelling Safety Important?
Snow shovelling can be deceptively dangerous. Simply picking up snow seems like something that isn’t very dangerous. However, it can be deceptively dangerous, with about 12,000 Canadians getting injured every year while shovelling snow. Some of these injuries can be very harsh, even causing lifelong injuries, with about 100 people often dying per year in Canada due to the after-effects of shovelling snow. Given that you don’t want to turn a snowfall into something that can ruin your life long after the snow is gone, it’s important to take some precautions.
What Injuries Can Happen When Shovelling Snow?
There are a lot of ways someone can get injured by shovelling snow. Some of the most common ways are below:
- Damaging one’s back, including possibly breaking it
- Pulling or straining a muscle
- Frostbite
- Hypothermia
- Suffering a heart attack from overexerting oneself
- Slipping and falling on ice, leading to a variety of injuries
- Herniated discs
Please keep in mind this is just a starting list. There are a variety of ways that someone can injure themselves while shovelling snow.
What Do I Need To Shovel Snow Safer?
There are a variety of tools one can use to shovel snow more safely. Each of these can help either reduce the amount of weight needed or provide extra protection from the cold or injuries. Here is a list of things that can help, and how:
- A snowblower can greatly lower the amount of snow that you actually need to shovel.
- A lighter shovel can slightly reduce the amount of weight you need to lift.
- Using snow salt to melt ice can reduce the need to break up ice. Sand can also help with this by providing some friction when it is too cold for salt to help.
- Heavy layers can lower the risk of things like hypothermia and frostbite. A winter coat, snowpants, gloves and/or mittens, a hat, a scarf, long underwear, a sweater, thicker long pants, and boots can all help keep you warm.
- An electric snow shovel can also be very helpful.
- Having some warm snacks or drinks can also be helpful to keep yourself full, energetic, and warm.
What Can I Do To Shovel Snow Safer?
There are a handful of steps you can take without needing to purchase anything. The following is a list of things you can do to minimise the risks involved in shovelling snow.
- Lift less snow at once. A lighter load will lower the amount of stress on yourself.
- Take breaks if you feel tired or cold, preferably inside, and in a place you’ve kept heated to keep yourself warm and rested.
- Lift with your legs, not your back.
- Warming up and stretching beforehand, to keep your muscles warm and less prone to pulls and strains.
- Avoid ‘twisting’ your body when shovelling.
- Push instead of lifting when possible.
Please note that this is just the start of what you can do. There are more steps you can take to avoid hurting yourself when shovelling snow.
