Get to grips with snow and ice risks
The winter is upon us, and apart from the seasonal joy, it also brings snow and frost. These icy conditions hold several risks for everyone.
Roads and walkways are slippery and accidents increase. Dense snowfalls curb visibility and add to an already hazardous situation. Luckily, employers can perform thorough risk assessments to discover the equipment and steps needed to mitigate snow and ice risks.
Legal obligations regarding snow and ice safety
Slipping and tripping is the most common cause of injuries in UK workplaces according to the HSE. Icy conditions often lead to more serious incidents such as machinery accidents, scalding, and falls from heights. All too often, these occurrences end in the death of employees, so it’s important to do everything possible to address weather hazards.
The Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 1974 stipulates that employers must take all reasonable steps to make a workplace safe. This includes conducting risk assessments to manage snow and ice risks.
Latest HSE statistics show that approximately 441,000 workers sustained non-fatal workplace injuries in 2021/22. Exactly how many of these are due to snowy and icy conditions is not clear but we do know that 33% of the injuries were due to slips, trips and same level falls.
What must your risk assessment cover?
Each organisation needs to create a business-specific assessment. You should conduct inspections section by section and ensure that you consider all relevant risks.
Roads and walkways
When inspecting outdoor areas, evaluate the condition of your walkways. Wet and slippery paths can easily cause falls. In the case of compacted snow and ice during winter, do you:
- Have a representative who monitors the weather?
- Have a winter policy that includes processes for clearing snow and ice, such as gritting and de-icing?
- Ensure that your main routes are clear and treated? If not, are there alternative routes, and did you communicate them?
- Limit access to dangerous areas such as slippery steps and slopes?
- Regularly check your walkways?
Clearing snow and ice
During winter, you must have procedures and people in place to regularly clear snow and ice. When doing your cold weather assessment, ask yourself if you:
- Have all the appropriate and needed equipment. This includes your gritting salt. We stock a comprehensive range of top-rated winter equipment, including grit bins and salt spreaders.
- Have provided suitable and high-visibility clothing and footwear for gritting and scraping workers.
- Have minimised manual tasks and have a proper rotation schedule in place to clear fresh snow before it becomes compacted.
Vehicles
Sometimes, large areas need ride-on equipment such as snow scrapers to clear away snow and ice. Should your workplace have these vehicles, assess whether:
- Use is restricted to trained and competent staff members.
- You have identified all areas where these vehicles should not be used or where they will escalate already-existing risks. These include heavy traffic or populated sections, or risky terrains where snow and ice vehicles may flip.
Lone workers
Try to reduce lone working times as it can become significantly dangerous in adverse weather conditions.
When employees work alone on gritting or other clearing tasks, ensure that:
- They have mobile phones or two-way radios in case of an emergency.
- Supervisors are notified of where they would work and approximately how long the task will take.
These are broad guidelines and you should customise and make them specific to your workplace. Always implement preventive measures when the weather services forecast heavy storms, and remember to put up relevant warning signs wherever possible.