All posts by Jonathan Bell

Falls are the world’s leading cause of injuries, sending hundreds of thousands of people to the hospital each year alone. Of those cases, only a fraction happen at work, and an even smaller number involve ice/snow-related slip and falls. But if you’re an employer whose workers spend a lot of time outdoors, even one of these incidents is too many. Fortunately, keeping your workers safe during winter is easier than you might think. In this blog post, we’ll look at ways you can prevent slip and falls and other wintertime injuries. Eliminate The Act of Walking on Compromised Surfaces Think about a[…]

The thing about winter is, despite forecasts, you just never can know when a strong weather system will move across the country. But there are several things I do know for sure... First, I know that if the country gets any significant snow or ice, it means that normally clean walking surfaces will become slippery and, as a result, slips and falls will increase. Guaranteed.

If you’re a safety professional, that word is OSHA. (Yes, technically, it’s an acronym, but stick with me here.) According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), “Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.” In fact, OSHA regulations state their point pretty clearly: “Employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Employers MUST provide their employees with a workplace that does not have serious hazards and follow al[…]

Have you heard the term “Hobson’s Choice? I’ll give you an example: When I was a kid, my mother would often give me a choice regarding outerwear on very cold days, “Either wear your winter coat or don’t go outside,” she would say, effectively offering me a Hobson’s Choice - no choice at all. At the time, my mom wasn’t interested in empowering me or helping me to build my decision-making skills. She simply wanted me to be warm and not get sick. There are many companies that offer this same “no choice” when it comes to safety items – either comply with OSHA workplace safety or go home.

Recently, I recalled a disturbing conversation I had with a Senior Safety Manager at a large company. He had expressed his frustration to me that after working so hard to establish a winter ice cleat program, he was still having trouble getting his employees to participate. Despite his ongoing effort to improve the company safety record by preventing slips, trips and falls in ice and snow, it was just not a priority for others in his organization. I told him that, in my experience, the best run safety programs all have one key component in common: unwavering support from management.

On my way into the city one day last year, the skies began to grow dark and by the time I pulled into the parking lot, the heavens had opened up and were dumping buckets of water all around me. From inside my car, I could see that some enterprising young fellow had opened up a makeshift umbrella sales stand on the corner. Not wanting to arrive to my appointment soaking wet, I parked my car, made a mad dash to his stand and gladly forked over the $20 for the small black umbrella.