So how to the guys on the field stand it? Some of them play in short sleeves, although many Packers will admit that they don’t like playing in the cold and they have lots of tricks to deal with Green Bay’s frigid weather. But at least the football players get time on the sidelines, with bench and foot warmers and those huge overcoats. What about the other guys on the field – the refs? Just last weekend, during a snowstorm, one of the refs for the Packers game was only wearing a baseball cap and no gloves. And the refs are out on the field for the entire playing time!
Under Wisconsin law, employers owe a duty to their employees to furnish and maintain a place of employment as safe as the nature of its business would reasonably permit. See Wis. Stat. § 101.11. OSHA states that working in extremely cold conditions can be dangerous. The CDC lists extreme cold as a physical hazard. And workers’ compensation insurance funds recognize that working in extremely cold conditions can be dangerous.
The issue then is whether working in the cold at Lambeau Field (or Soldier Field – but you don’t need to be as tough there!) is reasonably safe, given the nature of the business. Presumably (given my inability to find any cases addressing this issue), so long as the NFL and the team owners provide enough warm gear and heating equipment, it is safe enough. Unless or until there’s a requirement that all cold weather teams play in domes (which doesn’t seem likely – and the Vikings are playing their last game at the Metrodome right now), football employees will just need to dress warmly (ref, please put on a winter hat!), stay hydrated, and brace themselves for the cold.
So, as the Packers prepare to take on the Bears for the title of the NFC North Division Champion this afternoon, I have just four words to say. STAY WARM. And…GO PACKERS!