For many parts of the country, autumn colors are still in abundance, but the air has a crispness that portends the inevitable… winter is coming. Cold weather presents a distinct set of problems, producing hazardous situations both inside and outside the walls of your business. Unfortunately, sprinkling salt on your walks and calling it winter prep isn't enough. Instead, you must be proactive in dealing with winter hazards.
The time to prepare your facilities for winter weather is now, before the snowstorms in the north and ice storms in the south become a reality. Proactively preparing for winter is one of the best business moves you’ll make this season.
Maintain the optimal condition of your building over the winter by doing routine maintenance and monitoring of critical systems, such as plumbing and HVAC equipment. Be proactive about the health of your building by evaluating and fixing inside and outdoor insulation now, before the weather takes a turn for the worse.
Now is also the time to do an inspection to ensure that your roof, doors, and windows are strong enough to withstand the winter. Make sure your facilities have adequate heat circulation to help protect your pipes from exploding. Insulating any exposed piping properly will prevent burst pipes and water damage when the thermometer dips, especially those pipes in attics or located on outer walls.
Winter weather may turn sidewalks and staircases near your facilities into legal liabilities. Slip and fall injuries are more common in the winter, and failing to maintain your property could lead to a lawsuit. Identify potholes and cracks in your sidewalks and parking lots that may cause problems in bad weather and make repairs before it gets cold.
Check the lighting systems covering parking lots and walkways regularly to ensure they are in good operating order. Employees and visitors can struggle to see spots of snow and ice due to poor illumination. Examine the entry steps and railings for any damage, so when the conditions are slippery, people have a railing to grab.
Don’t forget about the inside of your facilities. Interior walking surfaces like doorways, reception areas, corridors, and stairwells can be hazardous when snow is tracked in. Use a floor fan to help keep walkways dry and personnel safe. Place "wet floor" signs strategically to slow people down as they enter the building. To capture extra water, use beveled floor mats. Save additional mats in case they become soaked with water and need to be replaced.
Workplace safety plans are not only important for employee health and workers’ compensation, but they are also often an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate. Whether a safety plan is required for your organization or not, having one in place is best practice for business owners to safeguard their employees and bottom line. That is especially true in the winter months when slip, trip and fall injuries are prevalent. When developing your workplace winter safety strategy, keep in mind the additional threats posed by rain, sleet, and snow.
To properly winterize your workplace, encourage your employees to think about every element of their workday. Set aside some work time and organize a meeting so that all of your employees can help develop, assess, or refresh their understanding of your safety strategy. Have them work together to explore possible winter dangers they may encounter at work and on their commute to and from work. Make a list of all of their ideas. This will allow you to design a winter safety plan tailored particularly to your organization. Remember to consider the many places in which your workers operate, such as the office, warehouse, or roadways.
Prepare a winter emergency safety kit for your organization
In severe winter weather, you or your employees may become stranded at work or have to wait out the storm. Consider creating a winter emergency pack for your organization. This winter preparedness checklist is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
With your facilities and employees prepared for winter weather, when the inevitable storms hit, having a mechanism to communicate with employees is of paramount importance.
Set up a communications plan—Preparing your business for a winter weather event starts with having a predetermined way to communicate with all employees
Pay attention to severe weather warnings
Set up a call tree or send a weather update text message and email blast
Consider canceling work, changing hours, or requiring staff to work from home
Encourage winter driving safety—Implementing a driving safety program significantly decreases staff health risks. Rain, snow, and other harsh winter conditions might make driving on the highways too dangerous. If the weather is iffy, so are the road conditions. Prioritize your workers' safety and well-being by encouraging them to work from home when there are hazardous traffic conditions. For employees who must drive as part of their jobs:
Train staff who use work vehicles on safe winter driving techniques
Provide ice scrapers, tire chains, emergency kits, and shovels to company cars
Cancel jobs that involve driving whenever feasible until the weather improves
Practice indoor workplace safety
If employees start to use space heaters, it is a sign the temperature of particular areas may need to be addressed. Space heaters should not be permitted.
Use caution while decorating for the holidays—do not use candles or hang decorations from fire sprinklers. When decorating, use caution when using ladders and extension cables.
Reduce slippery surfaces indoors and outdoors—As snowstorms and freezing rain warnings are issued, it is critical to treat potentially slippery locations as soon as possible.
Salt or sprinkle magnesium chloride on sidewalks, parking lots, entrances, and other vital outdoor places
Put mats at building entryway to avoid slick flooring
Use caution flags to indicate damp and slippery areas that require care
Remove any water that has accumulated on office tiles or flooring
These strategic preparations and engagement from your team can effectively help you winterize your workplace for safety. Take advantage of the autumn weather now as you prepare for the colder months ahead.
Christian Brothers Risk Management Services has a variety of flyers, guides and toolkits that can help you make your workplace safer, including a Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Toolkit.
