Sometimes you think you've heard it all, and we have when it comes to excuses why people don't want to wear ice cleats. Time for a top 6 list... Too expensive. My employees won’t wear them. Can’t wear indoors. Can’t drive with them on. Employees won’t take care of them. We've tried everything and nothing works in my environment. Reality of buying the right ice traction for shoes or ice cleats from the right manufacturer. Ice cleats are far less expensive than the resulting costs associated with a slip and fall. Have you ever given your employees the chance to try them? If you did and they prov[…]

The process of buying ice cleats is a lot like the search for any new product. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing, and other times you run into frustration and confusion, and end up spending a lot more time than you’d like to find the ice cleats you need. And it’s a situation where you need to take your time to make sure you’ve found the best and safest traction solution for your employees working outdoors in cold, slippery conditions. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the questions you should ask yourself when shopping for ice cleats to take some of the stress out of the process and keep yo[…]

Weather Madness Winter Weather Forecast. This week, winter weather will be changing across the United States. Colder air is expected to move in from the northwest and bring with it lower temperatures and more precipitation. In the northern plains states, snowfall accumulations of up to 6 inches could occur in some areas. Strong winds may also accompany this cold front, leading to blizzard-like conditions at times. Further south, a mix of rain and snow is expected for parts of the mid-west and northeast regions. High temperatures will struggle to reach above freezing in these regions and overni[…]

It is far and away the most common complaint we hear: “My workers hate having to take their ice cleats off and on throughout the day.” This complaint becomes even more frequent from companies where the workers need to walk outside and back multiple times throughout the day. And on one level we can’t really blame them. Winter slips and falls on ice and snow are a huge contributor to workplace accident statistics, and ice cleats seem like an obvious remedy to this problem. However, there are two factors that complicate this issue:  Most people don’t have jobs that require them to work exclusivel[…]

The sun may still be shining, but we both know winter hazards are right around the corner. For those of you who admit reluctantly that you should start planning, the next 60 days are critical to your employees’ safety. And your company’s safety record. If you plan on buying industrial ice cleats or other winter traction aids for your employees to prevent slips and falls on ice and snow, ask yourself:

How long should an ice cleat last? This is the most common question I get from safety professionals. It’s a fair question to ask and one you should have an understanding of before you purchase ice cleats. And when someone asks me that question, what I’m hearing is, “How many of these things am I going to buy to get through the winter?” Some ice cleats for shoes are built for recreational purposes, like walking the dog and shoveling the driveway, while others are built for utility workers, letter carriers and construction workers. If you use the wrong ice cleat for the wrong job task, you will […]