Amid freezing temperatures, parking attendants stay safe from the cold

After the snowfall on Jan. 10, 11 and 21 on UNC's campus and projected below freezing temperatures this week, some experts have voiced concerns over the safety of employees in extreme weather conditions. 

On Jan. 7, parking attendants worked outside in temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit during a basketball match between UNC and Southern Methodist University.

Evan Vickers, supervisor for The Car Park, the company overseeing parking attendants on campus, was working during the basketball match between UNC and Stanford University on Jan. 19. He said he usually works outside for approximately eight to 10 hours during game days. 

Lauren Babinetz, a graduate research assistant at the Southeast Regional Climate Center, said her work specifically looks at the intersections between climate and human health. She said there are measurable negative impacts in areas like the Southeast, where people are not normally exposed to extreme cold. 

Babinetz said an intense period of cold can cause negative outcomes on the skin, including frostbite and chilblains, which are rashes resulting from permanent skin and capillary damage due to long-term cold weather exposure.

Additionally, she said people who do not normally go out into cold weather often over-adjust and put on layer after layer.  

“When you go outside and experience that cold weather walking to class or doing a physical job outside, your body heats up quite fast, and you can get sweaty underneath those layers,” Babinetz said. “After you stop doing that work, that water is evaporating underneath your layers and making you freezing cold and more cold than you would have if you had worn slightly less layers.”

Jared Kaiser, another parking attendant during the Jan. 19 basketball game, said he was scheduled to be working outside for six hours to help direct cars and people walking to the game. 

On Jan. 17, University Finance and Operations shared an extreme cold weather advisory for Jan. 20 to Jan. 22. The advisory stated that anyone working outdoors should take breaks in a warm location, wear layers and watch out for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.

While Kaiser said he utilizes many safety precautions at The Car Park, such as dressing in all black with yellow safety vests and not wearing headphones, his job can be more difficult depending on weather conditions. 

Kaiser said he did not have an umbrella while working the Jan. 19 game, despite it raining that afternoon.  

“It's a simple job — it's more time-consuming than being difficult,” he said. “A con is on a cold day where it might be potentially rainy, it might be a little rough at times.”

Malik Wilson, a supervisor for The Car Park during the game, said one improvement could be to get better hand-warming devices, since his provided electric hand warmers did not work until he began to go back home.

“Summertime working here, and spring, it's fine,” Vickers said. “But when it gets cold, it's like night and day, you know?”

Many universities such as UNC Pembroke offer Cold Stress Safety Programs, which are initiatives designed to help University employees exposed to cold temperatures or at risk for cold-related illnesses. UNC does not currently have a program in place.

In an email statement to The Daily Tar Heel, UNC Media Relations said that the majority of employees working outdoors are provided with appropriately rated uniforms and personal protective equipment.

Media Relations also said that safety tips and resources for employees are outlined in work unit Hazards Management Plans. Additional information is also available via a Cold Stress webpage provided by the Environment, Health and Safety department, which oversees occupational safety at the University.

While Babinetz said it is difficult for a special protocol to be enforced for every employee at UNC due to differences in job expectations and tasks, she said workers should generally ensure they are taking breaks and are not exposed to prolonged periods of extreme cold. 

Research associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environment Chris Fuhrmann said while the weather this winter is not unprecedented, the greatest concern regarding the human health effects of cold weather is the transmission of infectious diseases, such as pneumonia or influenza. 

Fuhrmann said some people may not be as prepared when a cold weather outbreak occurs. From a behavioral standpoint, he said he thinks being unprepared for cold weather is the biggest issue that occurs in the South.

“When you get down to it, weather and climate affect us economically in ways that I think aren't always apparent,” Fuhrmann said. “Once people start to realize that, I think they begin to care a little bit more.”

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