The Winter Worker Safety Standard (WWSS-2025) is a proposed national framework establishing clear, enforceable protections for employees working in cold weather environments. Developed in response to the absence of uniform federal guidance, this standard defines employer obligations for risk assessment, engineering and administrative controls, personal protective equipment, medical response, and training related to cold stress, frostbite, and other winter hazards. It seeks to close a critical regulatory gap by codifying the minimum safety requirements necessary to prevent injuries and fatalities caused by prolonged exposure to low temperatures, wind chill, and ice.

The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) is considering recommending this draft to the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) for further technical evaluation. IHMM’s Executive Director, Eugene A. Guilford, Jr., CAE, serves on the ASSP TAG 283 standards group, which advises on occupational health and safety management systems and may be an appropriate venue to advance this concept toward ANSI adoption.

IHMM now invites all certificants—particularly CSHMs, CSMPs, and ASHMs—to review and provide comments on the contents of this draft standard. Your technical expertise and field experience are essential to shaping a defensible, science-based proposal that advances worker safety and professional excellence in winter operations.

The draft standard is here.