The colder months of winter pose several challenges for businesses, particularly with regard to employee safety. Dark mornings, freezing temperatures, and high winds are just a few of the factors that increase the risk profile of workplaces in the winter, especially for those with outdoor facilities.
With that in mind, let’s take a look more closely at the specific challenges that need to be addressed, the precautions you need to take during these colder months to better protect your employees, and how first aid training can help create a safer work environment during winter.
What Are Some of the Challenges Posed by Winter Working Conditions?
As alluded to, the arrival of winter sparks a number of hazards that aren’t seen at other times of the year. Strong, powerful winds, freezing temperatures and snow, dark mornings and evenings, reduced visibility via fog and mist, and poor driving conditions are just a few of the factors businesses need to consider when evaluating their teams’ safety.
So with these challenges posed by the colder and more unsettled weather, what can employers do to protect their business and employees from accidents?
How Can Workplaces Foster Safe Work Environments During the Winter Months?
Workers, and particularly those working outdoors, will need to take extra precautions when working in outdoor environments. Some of the measures that employers can take to improve safety for businesses with outdoor workers include gritting potentially slippery surfaces, increasing the number of safety briefings, and reviewing lone working practices for operatives out on the job.
While those working outdoors will obviously have to take more precautions, those indoors in more industrial environments such as factories and warehouses will also have to take measures to improve safety, such as wearing high visibility vests during darkness, ensuring there is adequate lighting, and carrying out a risk assessment of areas likely to become potentially dangerous in freezing conditions.
How First Aid Training Helps Businesses During Winter
The arrival of winter brings in the increased likelihood of freezing temperatures, ice, and snow. These conditions dramatically increase the likelihood of workplace slips, trips, and falls, which, according to the HSE, represent the highest percentage of non-fatal injuries in the workplace.
These sprains, strains, and fractures not only cause undue harm to your employees, but they hurt your business, too, in the form of enforced employee absences and reduced productivity. Having one or several qualified first aiders on-site can dramatically improve the outcomes of any incidents and help prevent workplace accidents from happening in the first place.
With accredited first aid training, your employees can better spot the biggest threats to their safety, develop risk mitigation strategies, and ensure that, should an incident occur, they do not graduate to a medical emergency.
Speak to TL Training Today Regarding Winter First Aid Training
With the onset of winter comes a whole host of new challenges presented by outdoor conditions. Whether your team are outdoor workers or not, you will need to take extra steps to ensure that your employees remain safe and aware of the additional risks posed by the conditions.
At TL Training, we help companies and their employees prepare for all scenarios through a number of training courses, including first aid training. We offer a broad spectrum of workplace first aid courses, including one-day Emergency First Aid at Work training and the more comprehensive three-day First Aid at Work qualification.
If you would like to learn more about our first aid training and course availability, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our friendly team on 0151 343 0588 or via email at [email protected]. We look forward to walking you through your options regarding first aid training soon.
