Sometimes, experience is earned the hard way. Bear with me while I start this story from the beginning. I had a conversation with a customer that left me confused. He had previously purchased ice traction cleats from Winter Walking while working in a different industry. Now he’s the safety lead with a new employer and he is looking to replicate the success he had with our winter PPE. He explained to me that his new employer has had a long history of winter slip and fall incidents in ice and snow conditions. He knew that he could likely solve these costly injuries with one or more of Winter Wal[…]

I speak to our customers on a regular basis. One in particular has been buying our ice shoe cleats for years. Despite their purchase, they’ve still had a few slip and fall accidents on the ice and snow and are frustrated. After the accident investigations, they realized each incident had the same the root cause: None of the employees who fell were wearing the ice cleats and winter traction aids that were being provided.

The Winter of 2017 - 2018 in the Northeast US was definitely one for the record books. With record breaking cold temperatures, frequent and massive snow falls, ice storms and the resulting school cancellations it seemed like it would never end. Although it still doesn't feel like it, according to the calendar, Spring has finally and officially arrived! Before you completely put this winter behind you I have a question for you. This question has the ability to help you get better employee buy-in when trying to prevent winter slip and falls in ice and snow.

Customers have so many choices when it comes to ice cleats and traction aids to prevent winter slips and falls. Sometimes these devices look similar. And sometimes they look radically different. But most of them have at least one very important thing in common: By far, the safest winter traction aids on the market are devices that offer traction in both the heel and toe of the device. As you walk, your heel hits the ground first, so additional ice and snow boot traction aids are needed. Following that, your foot rolls forward and your toe hits the ground. Without traction in both the heel and […]

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[…]