In some areas, such as Hokuriku and Kinki, it snows intermittently, mainly on the Sea of ​​Japan side, and the amount of snowfall increases, more than double the normal year.

This season, many people have died or are seriously injured due to accidents during snow removal work or being involved in snowfall.

This is a point you should know before removing snow.

In fact, the top cause of death in dangerous snow removal work

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 95 people died in the accident during snow removal work last season alone, and more than 80% of them are elderly people aged 65 and over.



Also, from November 2018 to May 2019, all 40 people who died from snow damage were in the process of removing snow.

Beware of falling from the roof or ladder

In particular, many people are killed or injured when they "fall off the roof."



If the temperature rises or the sun shines after the snow has increased, the snow on the roof surface will melt and become slippery, which may cause the snow to fall all at once.



Care must also be taken when removing the cornice that protrudes from the eaves.



It is easy to lose balance, so when working on a low roof, take measures such as wearing a "safety belt" to fix your body.



In addition, there are many accidents where you "fall off the ladder", so it is important to firmly fix the ladder and climb up and down carefully.



In many cases, I was working alone and was involved in an accident, and I found it after a while.



Be sure to work with "two or more people".

Dangerous if involved!

Snowfall from the roof

屋根の落雪による事故も相次いでいます。



状態にもよりますが、1立方メートルの雪は重さが100キロ以上、時には500キロに達することもあります。



積雪の多いところにさらにまとまった雪が降ると、屋根からの落雪の危険性が高まります。



道路で除雪作業をしていると、つい下ばかり見てしまいがちです。



雪の下敷きになって身動きできずに窒息したり、凍死したりした事例もあり、注意が必要です。



また、積雪が増えると山の斜面では雪崩も発生しやすくなります。

休憩をとりこまめな作業を

除雪作業はかなりの重労働です。



心臓発作などを引き起こすおそれなどもあり、無理は禁物です。



これまでの経験や体力を過信せず、休憩時間をとりながらこまめな作業を心がけてください。

用水路への転落にも気をつけて

積もった雪を用水路に捨てる作業にも危険が隠れています。



用水路と道路との境目が雪で分かりづらくなっていることも多く、誤って転落し、亡くなるケースが毎年、各地で起きています。



繰り返しになりますが、除雪作業をする際には危険性をよく確認し、万が一に備えて家族や近所の人などと声をかけあい、2人以上で行うようにしてください。