Cold at work: what NIOSH, WorkSafeBC, CCOHS and the NSW tree work code say
How four official sources describe cold stress for outdoor workers: the illnesses named, the factors behind them, and the measures they list for employers.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It is not medical advice and gives no first aid steps. The agencies' own pages cover those. Sources are general workplace pages, apart from the New South Wales code, which is written for tree work. The guide on climbing in bad weather covers what the climbing codes say about cold and wet.
Four sources side by side
| Source | What it says about cold |
|---|---|
| NIOSH, Cold and Work (July 14, 2026) | Names hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot and chilblains. Lists employer measures: schedule cold jobs for warmer months or the warmer part of the day, use relief workers or extra workers on long jobs, give cold stress training. |
| WorkSafeBC, cold stress | Says severe cold stress can lead to hypothermia, a condition that can be fatal. Names five exposure factors: cooled environments, wind, wet clothing, cold water immersion and fatigue. |
| CCOHS, cold environments | Explains wind chill and the work and rest schedule idea. Says exposure limits vary: some Canadian jurisdictions set temperatures, some adopt ACGIH values as limits and others as guidelines. |
| SafeWork NSW, Tree works Code of Practice | Lists cold among hazards of tree work and links low temperatures to hypothermia and frostbite. |
NIOSH
The page Cold and Work: Types, Causes, Preparation is dated July 14, 2026. It says workers at higher risk include outdoor workers and those in poorly insulated or unheated areas or without shelter, and that near-freezing temperatures can contribute to cold stress in regions unused to winter weather. For employers it lists scheduling, relief workers and training that covers worker risk, prevention, symptoms, monitoring of self and coworkers, and protective equipment. It also lists warm liquids, warm break areas, limiting time outdoors on extremely cold days, and monitoring at-risk workers.
WorkSafeBC
The regulator's cold stress page says hypothermia is a gradual process, so workers may not realize the danger until it is too late. It says cold water immersion cools the body 25 times faster than cold air. For controls it follows the usual order: eliminate the exposure first, and use other controls where that is not possible.
CCOHS
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety page Cold Environments, Control Measures says a cold environment challenges the worker through air temperature, air movement and wetness, and that these are balanced by layered clothing, physical activity and controlled exposure. It explains the wind chill index and reproduces a table adapted from the ACGIH Threshold Limit Values booklet of 2024. On limits, it says that where a jurisdiction sets none there are guidelines for risk assessments and safe work plans. As one example, it says ACGIH suggests a work-warming regimen for people working continuously once the wind chill temperature reaches -7 degrees C (19.4 degrees F) or lower.
New South Wales
The SafeWork NSW Tree works Code of Practice has a list of hazards of tree work. Cold is one entry, and the code links low temperatures to hypothermia and frostbite. The code gives no temperature trigger on that line.