I Don't Need Ice Cleats, I Walk Safely

Have you heard this from your employees?

This is a common cry from employees especially in the more Northern climates where nasty winter weather is normal. Many of these people have been dealing with snowy and icy winters their whole life and telling them now that they need to wear ice heel cleats while on the job can be a bit like telling your kids that they have to wear their mittens....they will resist at all cost.

Do your employees walk safely on ice and snow and is it reasonable to accept this as a reason not provide and insist that they wear ice cleats or other forms of Winter Walking traction aids to prevent slips and falls?

The short answer is: Absolutely not.

The longer answer involves your company's responsibility to ensure that your employees are as safe as possible because of the liability that your bear. If your employee is at home on the weekend and chooses not to wear ice cleats when walking on an ice covered driveway, he takes full responsibility for himself. If he falls, the costs associated with the accident in terms of medical cost and inability to report to work the next day are all his. His liability, his choice. The same way that it's his choice as to whether to wear safety gloves and safety glasses when operating a power saw at home.

But if your employee slips and falls while on the job, all of those costs are yours to bear! So for the same reason that you would require that employee to wear gloves and goggles when operating a power saw at work, you should also require them to wear ice cleats, gritted footwear or other forms of Winter Walking traction gear.

The bottom line is simple, if it's YOUR liability, it's YOUR choice, not theirs. So the next time your employee tells you that they don't need to wear ice cleats because they walk safely, tell them that your ice cleats and their safe walking habits are going to make a great team!