Responsible business owners understand the importance of workplace safety. After all, a company is not likely to remain successful for very long if its employees are regularly suffering from serious injuries. Of course, it is especially important to spend time focusing on workplace safety during the winter months. Here's why.
The Need for an Increased Emphasis on Workplace Safety During Winter
Throughout most of the United States, winter brings cold temperatures, ice, and even snow. These elements have the potential to be quite dangerous to your employees. If you don't take the proper precautions, you are likely to see your workers taking regular trips to the local hospital. If your employees rely heavily on their hands and fingers to do their job, the cold is likely to hamper their ability to carry out their duties safely. Once temperatures dip below a certain level, they are likely to begin to lose feeling in their digits - severely limiting their dexterity and potentially leading to an accident.
Your workers are also likely to have to deal with icy roads during the winter months. These can be a particularly big safety concern for employees who live far away from the workplace or who drive a vehicle as part of their duties. It only takes one slip or skid to cause serious injuries. Colds, cases of flu, and other illnesses can also impact your employees during winter. When dealing with these health concerns, your workers may find it difficult to perform their job to the best of their abilities - potentially causing them to make mistakes and injure themselves.
How to Improve Workplace Safety During Winter
Clearly, there is a need for an improved emphasis on workplace safety during winter. But what exactly can you do to prevent your employees from getting into any serious accidents? If your office, factory floor, or other workspace is known to get quite cold when the temperature drops, you may wish to consider improving your insulation or adding some heaters. Doing so can help to prevent the hand numbness and dexterity issues outlined above.
Since there is little that you can do to prevent icy roads, the best way to keep your employees safe is to take the necessary precautions. For workers who live far away or are uncomfortable driving on slippery streets, you can consider arranging a bus or taxi to get them into work. For employees who must drive on icy roads as part of their job, make sure that you equip their vehicles with proper tires and safety equipment.
There also isn't much that you can do to prevent your workers from getting sick during the winter months. However, you can stop illnesses from spreading to your other employees by providing plenty of medical time off when necessary.
If you would like an experienced expert to help you put together an effective workplace safety plan for the upcoming winter, you need to look no further than Brad Hurtig. Having spent years teaching companies throughout the nation how to reduce accidents and serious injuries, he knows exactly how to keep your employees safe when temperatures dip. Please contact us today to have Brad talk about safety plans in your workplace!