With reduced daylight hours, lower temperatures and wetter weather there are extra health and safety considerations. Accidents that are classified as ‘slips trips and falls’ are more likely and more frequent during the autumn and winter months. This article takes a look at some of the key considerations to help you avoid health and safety slip ups in the workplace.
1. Wet and Decaying Leaves
Ensure walkways, steps etc are swept regularly to prevent this hazard.
2. Snow, Frost and Ice
Understand how these factors may effect your site – Slips, trips and falls can increase. Also consider how these factors may create HR issues such as lateness or unauthorised absence. Ensure you have relevant policies and procedures in place.
3. Lighting Changes
During the summer months most staff come and go during daylight hours. However, dark mornings and evenings may change the risk level. A great example of this comes a previous role I had at a transport company. During summer, staff were allowed to access the building by walking across the lorry loading area. During the darker months, staff had to use the longer route which kept them away from the moving vehicles.
4. Gritting
Companies should ensure they have adequate gritting to melt ice and snow so people and vehicles don’t slip.
5. Rain Water
Can rain water drain away quickly without causing a hazard? If a downpour can create large puddles or gushing streams of water, people may try and leap over these obstacles, thus increasing the risks of slips, trips or falls. Is all the guttering in good condition? Even minor drips can create a slip hazard when the temperature hits zero.
Health and Safety Considerations
- Have you got suitable and sufficient risk assessments covering key areas of the business?
- Are regular checks or inspections carried out to cover walkways, exits, steps, routing and other key areas?
- Do you have suitable policies and procedures outlining compliant expectations?
As with all health and safety considerations, the key to success includes good quality risk assessment, good record keeping and good training and communication. When customers come onboard with Peninsula, these things become simple. Following a gap analysis of your current set up, you get policies and procedures written for you, and get access to health and safety software to create your risk assessments. The software also manages tasks, and has a fantastic range of accredited e-learning courses. Get in touch to find out how your business can benefit.
