I was speaking with a senior safety coordinator for a large Canadian company recently. This winter has been bone chillingly cold in a lot of places in North America and it seems like winter will not end anytime soon, thanks Polar Vortex!
Because of the brutal duration of this winter, this particular person was not in the mood to discuss the use of an ice cleat or other winter traction aids. He admitted that he is he’s sick of hearing about ice cleats and having to “deal” with them all the time. Does this sound familiar to you?
The interesting thing about what I do for a living is if you choose to ignore the problem of winter slip and falls eventually the weather changes. Your winter slip and falls due to ice and snow will disappear after Spring arrives. After winter ends you can bag your ice cleat conversations and start debating what flip flops are the best.
It is true that Winter slip and falls do not need to be priority number one for twelve months a year.
Yes, a guy who manufactures and sells ice cleats just said that. But if this topic isn't very high on your list during the peak winter months when is it? Chances are if you feel like you need to “deal” with ice cleats you may be using the wrong products and maybe even the wrong suppliers. Winter Walking can help you!
If you are sick of hearing complaints from your employees I have a suggestion for you. Stop ignoring your employees feedback and instead listen more closely to why they are unhappy. Bring in “different” technologies that specifically address their concerns and most importantly, test them now while you still have the weather. I guarantee that this will improve your slip and fall program and help you move closer to finding the perfect ice cleats for your employees for next winter so you don’t need to “deal” with it next season.
