With the arrival of cold weather, the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration is reminding employers to take necessary
precautions to protect workers from the serious, and sometimes
fatal, effects of carbon monoxide exposure. Recently, a worker
in a New England warehouse was found unconscious and seizing,
suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Several other workers
at the site also became sick. All of the windows and doors were
closed to conserve heat, there was no exhaust ventilation in the
facility, and very high levels of carbon monoxide were measured
at the site. Every year, workers die from carbon monoxide
poisoning, usually while using fuel-burning equipment and tools
in buildings or semi-enclosed spaces without adequate
ventilation. This can be especially true during the winter
months when employees use this type of equipment in indoor
spaces that have been sealed tightly to block out cold
temperatures and wind. Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure can
include everything from headaches, dizzin