Winter and Workplace Injuries: Tips to Reduce Workers’ Comp Expenses

The winter can be a dangerous time for workplace accidents. Risks that are usually minimal, can drastically increase in likelihood as the ground and roads get slick, hands get cold and joints grow stiff. If you live and work in a region that experiences wintery weather, then you know the risks firsthand for you and your employees as we head into the colder months. Prepared employers know that with these conditions slips are more likely, accidents on the roads become more common, and outdoor labor introduces new hazards including frostbite and hypothermia.

That is why Alloy Employer Services is aiming to help businesses keep their employees safe and on-the-job accidents and injuries down this winter. In addition to keeping your employees safe and sound, being prepared and reducing injuries will also have a direct effect on your workers' compensation insurance program costs. If reducing workers’ comp expenses is a high priority for your business, let this article be your guide to the precautions any business can take to reduce the risk of winter injuries and thus workers' compensation claims.

Smart Employers Can Reduce Outdoor Slips and Falls This Winter

One of the most common causes of workplace injury in the winter is a slip and fall on the exterior property of your business. Simple solutions like remembering to salt your parking lots and outdoor walkways regularly during the winter season will help to drastically reduce the number of slipping incidents. Ice is one of the most likely causes of a slip-and-fall injury on the company premises, especially in the parking lot before and after shifts. Both grit and de-icer can also be utilized by prepared employers to help these areas avoid becoming a slippery hazard. 

If your company is not responsible for maintaining outdoor areas, it's important to work with your property manager to ensure that salt or de-icer is being applied. Taking a proactive role in maintaining the safety of your walkways and parking areas is taking action to protect your employees from avoidable slips, falls, and related workplace injuries. It’s also one of the easiest ways to lower the amount of employees who file workers’ compensation claims, therefore reducing the business’s cost associated with worker’s comp insurance premiums.

Reduce Indoor Workplace Slips and Falls

Many employers may think that slips and falls due to winter weather are isolated to outdoor spaces. While that may seem so, the winter season also brings an increased risk of slips and falls to your indoor spaces. There are a few reasons for this. First, employees may walk in with ice still on their shoes, and ice dripping from coats and umbrellas may form dangerous puddles. Second, stiff joints in the cold can make it harder for employees to avoid a fall should they lose their footing at any point.

Employers should build a comprehensive approach to preventing indoor winter slips and falls. Start by placing non-slip textured mats at all entrances where employees can knock the snow and ice from their shoes. Even better, if space allows, a place to change shoes and hang coats to dry will also go a long way in keeping entranceways safer.

Finally, remind employees to wear non-slip footwear indoors and ensure they have properly treaded winter shoes when going outside. Employers should also work with the maintenance team to quickly address puddles from melted snow and ice that form on workplace floors.

Reduce Accidents on the Road for Your Employee Drivers

Winter weather hazards take on a whole new level for employers who have drivers out on the roads. As we all know, roads become particularly hazardous during the winter months, and if your business includes divers, keeping them safe should be a top concern. With the likelihood of icy roads and poor weather conditions, it is important to work together with your drivers to keep everyone safe on their delivery or service routes.

Start with winter vehicle maintenance, ensuring that each service vehicle is fitted with winter tires, winter formula wiper fluid, and winter weight oil. Perform an all-points check to ensure that engines, brakes, tires, and heaters are in good working order before your employees brave the icy roads. Furthermore, supplying each vehicle with an emergency winter roadside kit will provide an advanced measure of protection should an employee find themselves stranded.

Lastly, it's important to remind your drivers about safe winter driving behaviors. This includes longer follow distances when behind other vehicles, slower braking, steering carefully, and knowing how to stay safe in case they lose traction on the ice. Reinforce repeatedly that safe winter driving is the key to preventing accidents.

Timely Communication About Weather Hazards Can Reduce Workplace Injuries

Winter weather can pose a risk to all employees. This is why timely communication of winter weather safety tips is universally important. Remind your employees about how to walk safely on icy pavements - even if they have not been salted - how to keep warm and watch for signs of frostbite if working outdoors, and the importance of safe driving on the commute.

Prepare your employees to stay alert to changing weather conditions. You can also help your employees stay safe by providing timely communications about hazardous weather blowing in. Make smart decisions about granting at-home work, or shift cancellations during harsh weather and heavy snow. Send driving tips if winter fog creates poor visibility. 

Another consideration is if bad weather suddenly strikes during the work day. Providing employees with timely information, weather updates, and resources for safety can prevent avoidable accidents due to bad winter weather.

Proactively Managing Workers' Comp Insurance Claims

With all the preparation and precautions it's important to understand that accidents will still occur. If an employee is injured and they need to file a workers' compensation claim, proactively managing that claim every step of the way is paramount to your business. workers’ comp claims management is the best way to not only do right by your injured employees, but it can help reduce business costs by recognizing false or inflated claims, returning employees to work faster, and identifying how to better avoid injuries in the future.

Accidents happen, and guiding your employees through the workers' compensation process ensures that every injury is fully documented, every piece of paperwork is properly filed, and that their rehabilitation plan is properly tailored to the needs of each injury. This way, you can avoid unnecessary expenses and fulfill your responsibilities to your injured team members at the same time.

Proactively managing claims is the key to lowering overall workers' comp insurance premiums and costs. Partnering with a group like Alloy can help your business get the best care for injured employees and ensure your business stays ahead of workers' comp expenses.

Improve Your Workplace Safety and Workers' Comp Management by Partnering With Alloy

Winter is an important time to think about your company's workers' compensation program. Are you ready to prevent every avoidable injury? Is your system able to provide streamlined support to employees who do get injured? Is your business prepared to prevent workers' compensation fraud if attempted by an employee or even by their doctor? Alloy Employer Services can help.

We want to offer you a completely free analysis of your workers' compensation program, including rates and claims management performance. Contact us today for a zero commitment free claims assessment. Your employees and your business deserve the best possible care.