Shoveling Snow Safely

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Snowfall can bring opportunities for extra playfulness for children as well as obligations for extra labor for adults. 

Perry County OSU Extension Office Family and Consumer Science Educator Misty Harmon discussed some of the dangers associated with colder temperatures and snow removal that people face.

“If you have any health conditions like diabetes, thyroid problems, Parkinson’s and especially heart disease, you do need to take some extra precautions and be careful,” Harmon said. “And make sure it is safe for you to be outside, you know shoveling that snow or even just being outside walking the dog or anything like that. Because you know when we’re outside, it does require more energy from our bodies. The heart has to work harder to get the blood to the extremities because the natural tendency when we’re outside is for our vessels to constrict or get smaller.”

Harmon added that the circulatory system also regulates the body’s temperature and when that is combined with cold weather and over exertion it can raise blood pressure and put too much stress on the heart and lungs. 

“Couple that with heavy loads of snow, especially if it’s a wet snow and you’re like have that shovel full. It can overload the heart and cause people to have heart attacks or get chest pain. And again, there’s research and they show like spikes in heart attack rates during snow storms especially in our northern climates. Just be aware if you do start to get any of that chest discomfort or feeling really short of breath, make sure you stop, rest, go inside, get warmed up and then call your doctor,” Harmon said.

Dressing appropriately for the temperatures can help reduce circulatory system stress as well as planning for alternative ways to achieve outdoor tasks easier and more efficiently.