This parent's worst nightmare could
happen to you, but on a much larger scale
Being locked in a freezer is a workplace
hazard that shouldn't happen thanks to
mandatory emergency release handles
and other safety measures.
But sometimes things can and
do go wrong.
The reason these doors stick is an ice
build up around the frame, the locking
mechanism and emergency release device
can also freeze up.
So if you find yourself trapped in a
freezer and you can't get out,
just chill
and follow these steps.
Fortunately, most of us always have
our cell phones with us,
and hopefully in this case,
that will include going into the freezer.
So if you have your phone with you, take
it out and see if there's a signal
even a week one might be enough to
connect with an emergency number.
Calls to emergency numbers
must be connected even if the
signal is weak.
This can also help emergency services
find your location and send help.
All walk in freezers must have
emergency releases.
Try to find the one in the freezer.
Give it a good kick or shove and see if
it budges or try to find something solid
to hit it with if it's stuck.
A blunt object might help shake it free.
Chris McCabe, a 70-year-old butcher,
was trapped after the wind blew the door
shut on his shop's walk-in freezer.
It was in the back
and no one could hear him.
So he looked around and found a frozen
black pudding, sometimes
known as blood sausage.
It was the same size and shape as the
emergency release latch inside the door,
which was frozen solid.
A few bashes with the bangar, and he
managed to break out.
Exposure to temperatures just below
freezing can cause frostbite.
This can affect any part of your body
hit by cold air.
But it's particularly dangerous to arms,
hands, feet, ears,
nose and lips.
The first sign is something you may have
experienced, it's a tingling feeling
of cold and pain in the frostbitten area.
Look around for anything you can use to
insulate yourself.
You might be able to find plastic
sheeting, which is sometimes hung in long
strips to help trap the cold air inside,
when you're shelving orders.
Wrap the plastic around your body,
including your hands and head.
This will help you keep as
as much warmth as possible
and try to find some cardboard
or bags of rice,
something you can sit on without
touching the cold metal floor.
This will help you conserve more energy
and warmth, it will also give you
something to curl up on
and keep the heat
radiating off your body
in a confined space.
Finally, try not to move too much.
Even if you think exercising will help
you stay warm.
It will, but it will spike the amount of
carbon dioxide in the air.
And that's a problem.
Too much carbon dioxide
can make you delirious.
You could even pass out and die before
help arrives.
An employee found herself trapped in the
freezer when the door slammed shut
behind her at the end of a shift.
Carly D'orbigny was in the freezer for
eight hours, wearing only a Subway
t-shirt and leggings until the morning
crew showed up at 7:30 am.
She said her muscles were so cold it was
difficult to walk for a few days.
She also had a migraine and dry skin.
Hospital staff found she was close to
developing hypothermia.
If you can't get out, try not to panic,
panicking will increase your pulse
and breathing rate.
You'll need to conserve your energy
because now it's time to
become resourceful.
A standard size walk-in industrial
freezer contains about 320 cubic
feet of pure oxygen.
The average person needs about 150
cubic feet of pure oxygen
to survive for one day.
Meaning you'll have enough oxygen
for two days
even inside a sealed unit.
But that's if you don't freak out and use
it all up, do your best to stay calm
and try to keep your mind occupied on
anything other than where you are,
if you have your phone with you,
but you didn't get a signal the first
time you tried,
try again in a different spot.
Try not to waste the battery too much,
but keep trying.
You never know when you
might have some luck,
even if it's just for a moment.
Now you're out of the locked freezer
and you think you can handle anything,
but imagine that you were
trapped underwater.
What would you do then?
Don't worry,
we've got the perfect video for you.
To be prepared and stay alive,
keep watching How to Survive.