‘It’s tough on your body’: bitter cold poses grave threat for US outdoor workers

As the storm hits vast parts of the US, outdoor workers are pushing for greater protections and compensation

As millions of Americans around the country experienced the effects of a winter storm, thousands of workers in essential and emergency jobs had no choice but to work outdoors in blizzards and record low temperatures.

Over 200 million Americans were placed under winter weather alerts heading into Christmas weekend. Regions throughout the west and midwest were hit by record-breaking low temperatures. In the south, Florida experienced its coldest Christmas in decades. Hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands of Americans in hard-hit areas lost power.