The darker mornings have arrived. The heating is starting to go on. And before long, we’ll be back to scraping ice off the car before work.
Winter brings a few extra challenges for workplaces. And while most of them are fairly easy to manage, they can quickly become a problem if nobody has thought about them beforehand.
So, before winter properly sets in, now is a good time to take a look around.
Start outside
Car parks, paths and entrances can become very different places once the temperature drops. Rain, fallen leaves, frost, ice and poor lighting can all increase the risk of someone slipping or tripping. Think about the routes your employees, customers and visitors use every day.
- Are paths well lit?
- Who is responsible for gritting?
- Are there areas where water regularly collects?
- Do wet leaves build up anywhere?
- What happens if there’s snow or ice overnight?
A little preparation now is much easier than trying to work it out at 7am on a freezing January morning.
Don't forget the entrance
You’ve dealt with the outside. Then everyone walks through the door with wet shoes. Water being brought into reception areas, corridors and other entrances can quickly create another slip hazard.
Good matting, regular checks and a simple system for dealing with wet floors can make a big difference. It doesn't need to be complicated. It just needs to happen.
Take another look at lighting
We get used to our workplaces. The route across the car park seems perfectly well lit in July when people leave work in daylight. Come November, it might be a different story. Walk around your site when it’s actually dark. Can people see where they’re going? Can they spot kerbs, steps, uneven ground and other potential hazards?
Sometimes you only notice the problem when you look at your workplace at the time people are actually using it.
Think about people working outside
If members of your team spend time working outdoors, winter can affect more than the ground beneath their feet. Cold temperatures, wet weather, reduced daylight and poor visibility can all change the risks associated with a job.
Consider whether employees have appropriate clothing, somewhere warm and dry to take breaks and whether working practices need to change during particularly poor weather.
Don't overlook driving for work
Winter weather can make even familiar journeys more challenging. Dark mornings, icy roads, heavy rain and reduced visibility can all increase the risks for employees who drive as part of their job.
If your team regularly travels between sites, visits customers or spends time on the road, it's worth checking whether your current arrangements are suitable for winter conditions.
Are company vehicles properly maintained, with tyres, lights, wipers and fluid levels checked regularly? Do employees have suitable provisions in their vehicles, such as warm clothing, a torch, a phone charger or other emergency equipment appropriate to their journeys?
It's also worth considering how journeys are planned. Are employees given enough time to travel safely in poor conditions? Is there a clear process for postponing journeys when the weather makes driving unsafe? And do employees know what to do if they break down or become stranded?
Even the daily commute can become more difficult during winter, particularly for those travelling early in the morning or late in the evening. While ordinary commuting generally falls outside an employer's work-related road safety duties, it's still worth thinking about how severe weather might affect employees getting to and from work.
For employers, managing work-related driving risks should be part of their wider health and safety arrangements. A few practical checks now could help prevent problems when winter weather arrives.
Has anything changed?
Whether it's the routes people walk, the conditions they work in or the journeys they make, winter can introduce risks that weren't there a few months ago.
Your risk assessments may have been perfectly suitable when you completed them. But workplaces change. Teams change. Equipment changes. Working patterns change. And the seasons change too.
If winter introduces a risk that isn't currently being managed, now is the time to do something about it.
A quick winter check can go a long way
Preparing your workplace for winter doesn’t need to mean creating another huge folder of paperwork. Walk around. Look at what could change as the weather gets colder and the days get darker. Talk to your team. And deal with the simple things before they have an opportunity to become bigger ones.
If you're unsure whether your current risk assessments and health and safety arrangements are still doing what they need to do, Serene Safety can help.
We provide practical health and safety support for businesses across the UK.
Simple advice, simply delivered.
