Winter can be one of the most perilous times of the year for all workers. While many are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers present on the road, there are still plenty of people who do not consider the hazards in their daily routines at work.
Just as the risk of car crashes goes up during this season, so do the chances of a slip and fall occurring. Pennsylvania workers at any job should be aware of the various factors that affect their chances of severely injuring themselves while working during the colder months of the year.
Icy entrances
Residents by now should keep up with weather forecasts to see if any snowstorms or icy roads will be affecting their morning commute. But they should not expect the danger to end once they make it to their parking spot. Depending on when it snowed, the trip to the front door may be very slippery with nothing to hold onto.
As we’ve discussed before, time can play a critical role on when you arrive to work and fall, as some workplaces should be putting effort to pour sand or salt on the pathways to prevent worker injuries.
Janitorial breaks
Winter tends to be an unpredictable season when it comes to the janitorial staff. They may experience a change in staff since winter is one of the more popular seasons for new recruits, they could have one of their workers injured from the hazardous seasonal conditions or maybe one of them has decided to take a vacation to go somewhere warm for a bit.
Because of this, they may have less experienced workers or workers in general to go around and place wet floor signs at areas where people coming from outside are dragging their wet feet. That means that there is a likelier chance that someone may not be there to fix or warn you about slippery surfaces in the building. With less maintenance around the building, there may be more spills uncleaned and more lights turned off.
Slippery staircases
The slush and accumulated water aren’t just present around the entrance of your building. If your workplace lacks carpeting in most of the major areas, then people can leave their dirty footprints in places you tend to walk through. Staircases tend to be one of the more frequent areas for distress as one slip could make you fall down a longer and more painful distance than you normally would while falling.
If you can tell that the stairs will be difficult to walk on, grip the handrails carefully and walk up slowly. You may want to consider using a nearby elevator if the option is available to you.
With how common slip and fall accidents are in the winter, Pennsylvania workers should seek out legal assistance to have on standby in the event of a personal injury on their company’s premises.
