Winter weather workplace safety tips

Winter’s cold temperatures, sleet, snow, and freeze-thaw cycles make getting around on foot potentially dangerous. When getting to work is a necessity, no matter the weather, it is good to remember some winter safety tips.

Take your time

Your employer has the responsibility to make your workplace a safe place to do your job. Making your office or job site fully accessible by keeping snow plowed and shoveled and applying ice melt on walkways keeps walking surfaces as secure as possible. Even if the sidewalk you use is well maintained, take your time getting into work so you do not slip on some undetected ice.

Protect against construction falls

Winter conditions make slip and falls more likely. Your workplace should provide fall arrest systems. Make sure you use them correctly to guard against a deadly fall on the job site.

Dress warmly

Even though gloves give you more dexterity, mittens are a smarter choice to guard against frostbite when temperatures are at their seasonal lows. Dressing in layers is the best way to trap pockets of heat up against your body. Avoid a cotton layer up against your body as it does not wick moisture well and will chill you if it gets wet. Wool, silk, and synthetics are excellent choices for a base layer.

Look out for wet floors indoors

Do not let your guard up when you enter your office building. It is likely that wet conditions prevail right inside the entrance. Building management should have water-absorbing mats to provide traction, but if they do not, it could be as slippery as a skating rink. Investing in sturdy boots and using them to walk into work is a great idea.