Getting “cold feet” usually means that someone is nervous about an upcoming marriage or other major event. But if your workers are required to work outdoors in even the worst weather, having cold feet can cause them serious problems.
Those who work outside and develop cold feet—or worse, cold and wet feet—are at risk for developing hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot.
Wet feet lose heat 25 times faster than dry feet, which can lead to a dangerous drop in core body temperature (hypothermia). Getting wet or working up a sweat in cool weather can bring on hypothermia and it can occur in temperatures above freezing (32 F or 0 C).
Keeping the feet warm and dry also reduces the risk of developing frostbite, a painful condition caused by prolonged exposure of skin to freezing or sub-freezing temperatures. Severe cases of frostbite to the feet can lead to gangrene (tissue decay), requiring the toes to be surgically amputated.