RICHMOND, B.C. – A news release from British Columbia’s occupational health and safety authority has reminded the province’s employers that they need a plan to protect employees who work outdoors from below-zero temperatures this winter. Sent out on Dec. 7, the WorkSafeBC release stated that 72 B.C. workers had been injured by exposure to cold weather since 2011 and that one of them had died from it. Among WorkSafeBC’s prevention tips: follow weather forecasts; minimize employees’ skin exposure; equip workers with dry, layered clothing, including hats; and keep employees rested and hydrated. Employers should also conduct cold-stress assessments and implement control plans on cold exposure, the organization recommended. “Frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes without the proper clothing and equipment,” Dan Strand, WorkSafeBC’s director of prevention for field services, said in a press statement. “Construction labourers, trucking and transportation drivers, utility and maintenance workers and ski-hill operators are just a few of the many different occupations that require workers to perform their duties outside.” Frostbite, trench foot and hypothermia are among the injuries workers can sustain in extremely cold weather, WorkSafeBC cautioned.