Have you heard the term “Hobson’s Choice? I’ll give you an example: When I was a kid, my mother would often give me a choice regarding outerwear on very cold days, “Either wear your winter coat or don’t go outside,” she would say, effectively offering me a Hobson’s Choice - no choice at all. At the time, my mom wasn’t interested in empowering me or helping me to build my decision-making skills. She simply wanted me to be warm and not get sick. There are many companies that offer this same “no choice” when it comes to safety items – either comply with OSHA workplace safety or go home.

A corporate safety director once told me about the challenges he faces in regard to employee buy-ins and working in the ice and snow. He has used our ice cleats in the past with good success. More recently, his company started a new safety initiative: ZERO winter slip, trip and fall incidents. This can be hard goal to reach (but not impossible). After our discussion, he realized that just buying traction aids and making them available to everyone was good, but not good enough to achieve his goal. Things needed to change.

Now, some safety professionals hear the word “winter” and, all of the sudden, the mood in the room changes. Because they know their job has become even tougher. The challenge? Trying to find the easiest and safest ways to protect their employees who work in the ice and snow. So I’d like to ask you a few questions: 1) Are you tired of searching online, trying to guess which ice cleat or traction aid will be best? 2) Are you tired of buying a recommended traction aid, only to realize that your people HATE wearing them? If this all sounds familiar, ask yourself: 3) What do I need and want from a […]

Nowadays, it is common knowledge that implementing a slip and fall safety program can lead to significant cost savings for companies. By reducing recovery time, minimizing lost work hours, and preventing expensive workers' compensation claims, it is crucial to equip your employees with the necessary tools and protocols to prevent slip and fall accidents. Continue reading to evaluate whether your company is at a high risk for slip and fall incidents and discover how Winter Walking offers a comprehensive solution to mitigate workplace accidents related to slips and falls.

Have you ever asked your employees for their feedback on the traction aids and ice cleats that you buy for them? If you have never done this, you are missing out on some very important information. This is one of the most critical and most often forgotten ways to increase employee buy-in. You will learn what is working well – and what is not – with the current ice cleats you provide to reduce winter slips and falls. Additionally, you will be building morale and reinforcing the notion that you care about employee safety.

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 cha[…]