I know a safety coordinator at a large Canadian company. The conversation I had with him one winter stuck with me. When we spoke, he was in no mood to discuss the use of an ice cleat or other winter traction aids. He admitted that he was sick of winter, in general, and sick of hearing about ice cleats, in particular. He was tired of having to “deal” with them all the time. Does this sound familiar to you?
Here’s the interesting thing about what I do for a living: If you choose to ignore the problem of winter slip and falls on ice and snow, you’re in luck because eventually the weather will change. Your winter slip and falls will disappear sometime in the spring. 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 fall incidents do not need to be priority number one 12 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. (I bet Winter Walking can help you!)
If you are sick of hearing complaints from your employees, here’s a suggestion:
Don’t ignore your employees’ feedback. 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.
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Bill Coyne is the VP of Sales for Winter Walking. He has been helping organizations across a wide variety of business sectors prevent workplace slips and falls in ice and snow for over 16 years. Winter Walking currently helps some of the world’s largest organizations keep their employees both safer and more productive while working outdoors in the winter season. Contact bill@winterwalking.com or visit www.winterwalking.com.
