Winter Workplace Safety
Anyone working north of the Florida border is well aware that the winter season is approaching rapidly. With winter, comes snow and ice. Seasonal weather conditions present hazards on and off the job site. If we plan and prepare for these conditions we can prevent injuries that are the result of slips, falls and muscle strain. As we all know, these types of injuries cause unnecessary pain and suffering to injured employees and also affect business performance.
In an effort to prevent injury, we all must plan and take the lead to minimize the effect of the conditions created by winter weather. Listed below are some actions that you can take to prevent unnecessary injury to employees:
�� Review and identify the areas that are subject to icing where our employees park, walk and work. Discuss these affected areas with your Client Representative and come to an agreement as to who is responsible for maintaining the area in a safe condition.
�� Select an acceptable product (sand, salt etc.) for controlling the potential hazards created by weather conditions.
�� Place the de-icing product and tools to spread it in places and containers accessible to employees who may be required to access areas of the site that may not be free of the hazards created by weather conditions.
�� Assign to the proper individuals the responsibility of inspecting and maintaining routinely traveled areas in a safe condition before the start of, during and just before the end of each shift. (Note: The vast majority of the injuries that are the result of falls on icy surfaces occur while walking to and from the parking area.)
�� If a hazardous condition exists in an area for which our Client has accepted responsibility, take corrective action to abate the condition and then address maintenance of the area with your Client Representative.
�� Raise awareness by posting signs and talking about the hazards associated with the weather at daily pre-job briefs and at weekly safety meetings.
�� Remind employees to focus on the subconscious act of walking where hazardous conditions exist on your site. I once heard the advice to “walk like a duck” when the ground is icy, and have never forgotten that tip.
Planning and maintaining a focus on the task at hand will go a long way in preventing injury to employees.
