HOW TO GET YOUR EMPLOYEES INVOLVED WITH SLIP & FALL PREVENTION

A corporate safety director once shared with me the numerous challenges he encounters when trying to secure employee buy-ins, especially when it comes to working in harsh conditions like ice and snow. These challenges are not just about convincing employees to adopt safety measures but also about ensuring their consistent and correct usage. He has previously implemented our ice cleats with considerable success, noting a significant reduction in slip-related incidents. However, recognizing the ever-present risks, his company recently embarked on an ambitious new safety initiative: achieving ZERO winter slip, trip, and fall incidents. This is an exceptionally challenging goal, given the unpredictable nature of winter weather and the inherent risks associated with icy conditions, but it is not an unattainable one.

During our in-depth discussion, he came to the realization that simply purchasing traction aids and distributing them to employees was a step in the right direction, but it was insufficient to meet the ambitious target he had set. The mere availability of these aids was not enough to ensure their effective use. He understood that a more comprehensive approach was necessary, one that involved not only providing the right equipment but also fostering a culture of safety and accountability among his workforce. This meant re-evaluating current practices and implementing changes that would drive the desired outcomes.

This safety director also realized that if his employees had a choice to wear the traction aids or not wear them (aka Voluntary or Mandatory), most were choosing not to. His data from years past and his incident rate confirmed this.

Now, he believes he’s getting closer to achieving ZERO winter slips and falls because of his new mindset: He is mandating the employees to wear the traction aids. Now, this is where he thought our conversation was going to end.

But I reminded him that he may move his current program from “good” to “better,” but it will not help him achieve ZERO. He was not happy to hear this, answering me with a rather loud, “Prove me wrong!”

I admit, the next 90 seconds included some awkward silence, but then he came back with, “$@#... I never thought of that.”

Based on my experience, training is often the key ingredient missing from winter traction aid safety programs.

Think about it. You may be assuming that every one of your employees has all the knowledge you do, but in reality, they haven’t had the conversations you have. Chances are, they will not know exactly what to do with the cleats you chose and bought for them. And they also won’t know what NOT to do when wearing them.

The advice I gave the safety director was to make sure all of the ice cleats and traction aids come with training videos to share with the people who will actually wear the equipment. Employees learn visually and seeing the traction aids in action will help. I also suggested that traction aid training posters be on display for each option. Posters greatly help the visual awareness of your winter safety campaign.

The most successfully run traction aids programs educate their people in small, medium and large groups. Why? So everyone understands the pros and cons, as well as the importance of using the traction aids correctly to achieve a corporate goal. It’s a message that needs to be delivered repeatedly. This is never a “one and done” effort.

So, my question to you is simple: Do you want to settle for a decent traction aids program – or would you like to shoot for ZERO?

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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 eliminate workplace slips and falls incidents in ice and snow for over 20 years.  Email Bill bill@winterwalking.com or visit www.winterwalking.com for additional helpful information and resources.