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Shoveling snow? Here are tips for doing it safely
The heavy snow forecast for the region means many will be out shoveling, but do you know how to keep safe while shoveling?
PHILADELPHIA - A winter storm in the making is headed for the Delaware Valley Friday and the snow will be, apparently, heavier than Monday’s snow and there will be more of it. No one should get hurt while using a snow shovel. The following are tips everyone can use for safer, healthier shoveling.
- To start, to use proper form, making sure your feet are about hip length apart.
- Then, always bend with your knees, never from your back.
- Start with a small portion of snow on the shovel. Taking too much at once puts you in danger of throwing out your back.
These are important tips in staying safe and physically healthy while shoveling. Dr. Richard Wender, with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, says there are other important items to remember when tackling the snow.
"There are substantial risks and some of them that people don’t anticipate associated both with cold exposure and with weather events like heavy snow," Dr. Wender said. "Hypothermia – just having a body temperature that’s too low is a risk."
Shoveling snow: Safety tips to prevent injuries, heart attack
In 2018, more than 137,000 people were treated in emergency rooms, doctors' offices, and clinics for injuries that happened while shoveling or using snowblowers.
People should always dress appropriately for the elements, which in snow, includes gloves. "Frostbite, earlobes, fingers, toes, nose with prolonged exposure is a risk, as well."
For folks who are a little older, with underlying cardiac conditions, Dr. Wender has advice.
"People are, in fact, at higher risk for heart events, like a heart attack, and that happens for a couple of reasons. One, if you’re exposed to the cold, your blood vessels shut down a little bit because they’re trying to hold onto the heat and that may affect blood flow to your organs and even your heart. We see people in the ER every year who really should not be shoveling snow."