When it comes to ice cleats, opinions tend to fall into two categories. Some see them as a “last resort,” only breaking them out when sidewalks are icy and unavoidable. Others view them as a non-negotiable part of workplace safety gear, just as essential as steel-toe boots or safety glasses.

I’ve found that there are two ways people tend to look at ice cleats. Ice cleats are a last resort. Ice cleats are part of the workplace safety gear solution. Let me ask you a question: Why are your employees using the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they have today? Chances are, your company has a lot of PPE that are mandatory, not voluntary, as a condition of employment. What about safety glasses, hard hats, steel-toe boots, high-visibility clothing, fire-retardant apparel? You get my point. These items are mandatory at most workplaces, including yours. Why? Because your employees experi[…]

I have young kids at home. Every night, they eat dinner. Sometimes they eat their dinner early and sometimes it’s late. But every night they eat. So what would happen if I waited until they were starving to feed them. And at that point I said, “Okay, just spot me a few hours. I have to go to the market, buy some ingredients, come home, look up a recipe and then cook you dinner. Sound good, kids?” Just the thought of the ensuing tantrums is enough to ensure that this scenario never unfolds in my home.

The other day I was downtown for an important meeting. On my way into the city, the skies began to grow dark and by the time I pulled into the parking lot, the heavens had opened up and were dumping buckets of water all around me. From inside my car, I could see that some enterprising young fellow had opened up a makeshift umbrella sales stand on the corner. Not wanting to arrive to my appointment soaking wet, I parked my car, made a mad dash to his stand and gladly forked over the $20 for the small black parasol.

I recently spoke with a customer who has been buying our ice cleats for years. They’ve had a few slip and fall accidents on the ice and snow this winter and are, understandably, very 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. Does this sound familiar to you? This is one of the most frustrating, but preventable, things a safety professional can hear. Have you ever noticed problems with employee engagement? Most likely, you hav[…]

I help companies of all sizes, ranging from several hundred to more than 100,000 employees. On the surface, you wouldn’t think they have much in common when it comes to safety. But, in reality, their approaches are often identical when it comes to solving the problem of winter slips and falls on snow and ice. The truth is, preventing winter slips and falls is low-hanging fruit in the world of employee safety. With minimal effort, effective safety professionals have the ability to save their organizations huge sums of money, in both workers compensation costs and lost production time.