I’ve noticed a trend over the last several years. Organizations, both large and small, are chasing the zero accidents/incidents dream. And, I’m sorry to report, this is a goal they just won’t reach. Because there’s a seasonal safety hazard that’s a ticking time bomb. It’s called winter. And it’s right around the corner. Most of you will likely have had one or more winter storms with ice and snow before winter’s official start on December 21st. If you live in a cold-weather state in the U.S or a cold-weather province in Canada, it’s not “if” winter is coming, but when.

When purchasing a safety item for your employees, it is fair to consider whether the item you are purchasing is too expensive. While you would generally expect a company to spend whatever it takes to keep everyone as safe as possible, that might not always be the case. As a matter of fact, from a pure numbers standpoint, it might even make sense to let the accidents happen.

Have you ever purchased ice cleats in the past and regretted the choice? Why? Perhaps you had a slip and fall incident and made a “reactive” decision that resulted in buying the cheapest thing you could find online or at your local big box retailer? Perhaps you then heard nothing but complaints from your people: “I can’t wear these indoors.” “My ice cleat broke.” “My cleats keep falling off.”

I was speaking with a senior safety coordinator for a large Canadian company recently. This winter has been bone chillingly cold in a lot of places in North America and it seems like winter will not end anytime soon, thanks Polar Vortex! Because of the brutal duration of this winter, this particular person was not in the mood to discuss the use of an ice cleat or other winter traction aids. He admitted that he is he’s sick of hearing about ice cleats and having to “deal” with them all the time. Does this sound familiar to you?

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 tr[…]

I got a late start into work the other day. I grabbed a travel mug and took my coffee to go. When stopped at a red light I reached for the mug and noticed the logo of a large U.S. utility and I smiled. They've been a customer of mine buying a variety of our ice cleats and other winter traction aids for over 13 years! They invited me last year to a corporate safety meeting to speak about their slip and fall prevention program and gave me this mug.