As a business, it’s your responsibility, legally, to ensure the safety of all the people in your workplace.
Each business and industry are different and will have varying levels of associated risks. That said, there are a few risks that most businesses need to address to make sure their business is a safe place to work during the winter months.
And remember, it’s not just about keeping your staff safe. It’s about ensuring the safety of everyone who uses your premises.
Taking some time to review your winter health and safety practices will help identify whether you are doing everything you can to keep your employees and visitors safe. And, more importantly, on the right side of the law.
Granted, you may have already heard of some of this advice before, but it’s always good to refresh your knowledge and there may be some things in here you haven’t considered before.
Today, we look at the main areas relating to Winter Safety in the workplace, including.
- Slips, Trips and Falls
- Driving Safety
- Working Outside
- General work safety
- Mental wellbeing during the winter months
We’ve also included a comprehensive Winter Safety Checklist to help you review your current level of compliance.
This advice is by no means exhaustive and so for more specific, tailored advice we would advise that you get in touch with us to discuss your business in more detail.
Slips, Trips and Falls
The arrival of winter naturally increases the chance of slips, trips and falls.
Icy conditions and dark evenings mean that even if you are familiar with your surroundings, accidents can happen. There are, however, a few things that you can do to lessen the risk.
- Wear appropriate footwear
- Grit all paths and walkways in and around your business
- Make sure all outside areas are well lit
- Clear away wet and decaying leaves
- Ensure that rain and melt water can drain away appropriately
In the event of someone injuring themselves could you deal with it?
Our 1-day ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ course can help you develop the skills necessary to become a competent and confident First Aider in your work place, should you need to deal with and slips, trips, and falls. On completion you will be awarded an ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ certificate, valid for 3 years.
Some of our other courses related to slips, trips and falls are:
Driving Safety
Driving in the winter months requires a completely different set of skills compared to driving during the warmer months.
Wet and icy roads can challenge even the most experienced of drivers, so making sure you and your staff are aware of the risks and prepared, is crucial.
Some of this advice may seem obvious. However, in our experience you’d be surprised at how often businesses don’t even do the simple things to reduce the risks of accidents.
So, whether your staff drive their own cars to work, or you run a fleet of company vehicles, these checks done on a regular basis can help reduce the risk of accidents and mishaps during the winter months.
- Check tyre treads and tyre pressures
- Ensure all headlights, indicators and emergency lights work
- Check that the heaters and blowers are working properly
- Replace worn windscreen wipers and keep wiper fluid topped up (with the addition of some anti-freeze)
- Equip each vehicle with an emergency kit in case of a breakdown – it’s also worth considering breakdown cover
- Keep the car and windscreen well ventilated
If you’re not sure what to include in your emergency kit, here’s a comprehensive list of what you could include.
- Torch with spare batteries
- Ice scraper and de-icer
- Jumper cables
- Bottles of water
- Warm clothes and blankets
- High-vis jacket
- Boots with a good grip
- First-aid kit
- Empty fuel can
- Shovel
- Reflective warning signs
- Car phone charger
In extreme weather conditions, the best advice is to avoid unnecessary journeys and where possible, allow staff to work from home.
If you/your staff must come to work, irrespective of the weather, allow more time during the colder months. This will give more time to prepare the car before your journey and to take it easier on the roads without having to rush.
Our courses related to Driving Safety are:
Working Outside
The onset of winter brings with it a whole new set of challenges for those working outdoors.
Colder weather can potentially have a serious impact on your employee’s health if the risks have not been properly considered or managed. Whilst there is no minimum temperature for people working outdoors, employers have a duty of care under health and safety regulations to ensuring that employees aren’t working in unsafe or unhealthy conditions.
- Ensure that your staff have the right PPE which is appropriate for the conditions.
- Drink warm fluids
- Make sure they have protection for their ears, face, hands, head, and feet
- Boots should be waterproof and insulated
- Take more frequent rest breaks.
Outdoor workers are at a greater risk of cold stress, which occurs when the body temperature drops too low for the body to heat itself.
This can lead to severe cold-related illnesses, for example, hypothermia, frostbite, and trench foot.
Hypothermia – Symptoms of hypothermia can vary depending on how long you have been exposed to the cold temperatures, but can include:
- Shivering or shaking
- Lack of coordination, confusion, and disorientation
- Drowsiness, confusion, or fatigue
- Slurred speech
Late symptoms can include:
- No shivering
- Blue skin
- Dilated pupils
- Slowed pulse and breathing
- Loss of consciousness
Frostbite
- Skin that is very cold and turns numb, hard and pale
- Blisters or swelling
- Joint or muscle stiffness
Trench Foot
- Reddening of the skin
- Tingling sensation
- Pain and swelling
- Leg cramps
- Numbness
- Blisters or ulcers
- Bleeding under the skin
- Gangrene – the foot may turn dark purple, blue, or grey.
Chilblain
- Redness
- Itching
- Possible blistering
- Inflammation
- Possible ulceration in severe cases
Working outdoors in the winter can increase many of the risks related to working outside. To help you prepare, a suitable risk assessment should be carried out.
Our courses related to Working Outdoors are:
General Work Safety
As a guide to some general tips for keeping your workplace safe during the winter months, here’s list of things to consider, some of which we’ve touched on already.
Winter risk assessment
- This will help identify and hazards that might affect your employees and visitors to your business
Building Safety
- Check gutters, drains and downpipes to ensure they are clear of leaves and debris to prevent
water leaking out and freezing across car parks and walkways
Check your heating systems
- Clearly, prevention is better than cure so make sure you carry out regular or timely services on your heating system.
- This is best done before the colder months arrive, so try and plan ahead and set up a regular service schedule in preparation for winter.
Gritting Plan
- Identify key areas that need to be kept well gritted – these will include access to car parks, footpaths, access to main doors, bin stores, outbuildings and emergency exits. Appoint someone to action this.
Severe/Adverse Weather Plan
- Ensure you’ve a plan in place for severe/adverse weather and ensure you’ve adequate supplies of everything you may need, like grit
Cars
- Ensure that all company cars are serviced and ready for winter and consider preparing an
emergency kit as set out in ‘Driving Safety’.
Work from Home/Winter Driving Policy
- Where possible, put a plan in place that will allow people to work from home.
With the proper procedures in place, you can effectively minimise the risks in all of these areas and correctly manage any incidents that do happen.
Stretching
- Yes, believe it or not, the colder months increase the chances of staff members pulling muscles.
- When the weather gets colder, muscles contract and tighten, which makes them more prone to injury. Regular stretching during winter months can help prevent muscle pulls, back pain and sciatica.
Lone working procedures
- For staff that work, or live, remotely, the winter months could present times when travelling to and from work, meetings and appointments become difficult, or in extreme cases, impossible.
- Particularly for staff who live in rural areas, snow and ice can mean they can’t get out of their driveways or roads.
Review your policies and make sure you have procedures in place to deal with these situations. We offer an Introduction to Personal Safety for Lone Workers e-learning training course
Provide Winter Safety Training
With the arrival of colder weather, there are naturally many more precautions your workers need to take and hazards that they need to be aware of.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to provide specific winter safety training, covering the areas we’ve covered in this article, or perhaps even an advanced driving course.
We can help
If you are interested in finding out more about what Acorn Health and Safety can do for your business, give us a call on 0117 453 9856, or you prefer e-mail, email us
Mental Health
The winter months can be a real challenge for those who suffer with depression.
It is important that we are all aware of each other’s moods and behaviour. The earlier people talk about how they are feeling, and access the right support, the better chance you have of helping them remain safe and healthy.
If you notice someone who is feeling low or depressed, ask them how they are and if they would like to talk about it.
If they would rather not discuss their feelings with you, suggest they talk to a friend, family member or GP.
We offer variety of Mental Health courses.
As well as these winter safety tips for the workplace, the winter months are also a time for celebrations at home and within our respective communities.
Driving Safety
Be extra alert when driving around residential neighbourhoods – excited children can behave in unpredictable ways so stay alert when backing in and out of driveways and at intersections.
Walking Safely
Younger children will naturally be accompanied by an adult, but it’s still your responsibility to ensure they follow the rules of the road.
Look out for cars entering or leaving their driveways, be careful when crossing the road and stick to the pathways.
Fireworks over New Year
In case you missed our post on this in October, here’s a reminder of some safety tips for fireworks and bonfire night.
- Make sure you buy fireworks from reputable retailers. All instructions should be in English and fireworks should conform to British standard BS7114, which should be clearly written on the box
- Keep fireworks in a closed box and use one at a time
- Keep naked flames (including cigarettes) away from fireworks
- Ensure spectators are located sufficiently well back, pay particular attention to the direction of rockets
- Sparklers cause more injuries than fireworks and get five times hotter than cooking oil. Sparklers should only be used by the over 5’s, wear gloves when holding them, held at arm’s length when lighting and pop into a bucket of cold water when finished with. Some people like to put the sparkler in a carrot, so it is easier for children to grip.
- Spare a thought for pets, its’ estimated nearly half the dogs in the UK fear fireworks, visit the RSPCA for some great advice on fireworks safety for pets. Where possible, keep pets indoors.
Visit ROSPA for more information and some great video clips on firework safety
If you going to an event containing Fireworks (either private or public), here are a few important points to remember:
- Do not drink alcohol if setting off fireworks or handling sparklers
- Follow the instructions on each firework/sparkler
- Light at arm’s length, using a taper and stand well back.
- Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it has not gone off, it could still explode.
- Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them.
- Always supervise children around fireworks.
- Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves.
Our broad range of training courses are aimed at businesses as well as individuals requiring specific training.
Our open courses run regularly and cover a variety of different subjects although they do fill up fast.
If you have a current need, or something on the horizon that may require some specific Health & Safety training or if you are interested in finding out more about what Acorn Health and Safety can do for your business, give us a call on 0117 453 9856, or you prefer e-mail, email us: [email protected]
Prefer to talk about your training and consultancy needs?