The shift in seasons has started to become noticeable, the mornings are cold, and the days are getting ever shorter. Now is the time to start preparing your business and workforce for the winter months, and the challenges that it can present. Winter in the UK is notorious for poor weather conditions, so making sure that you are prepared for the worst, should ensure that your business can run more smoothly should the weather make things challenging.
Heavy rain and snow can cause issues for you and your staff. Then there’s the dangers of icy roads and strong winds causing issues on commuting routes. You may struggle to keep your business open if the weather conditions become too adverse.
Remember that ensuring the health and safety of your workforce is your responsibility and falls under your employers duty of care. Non- compliance with this can result in costly legal action.
The first port of call before you implement any policy changes or adjustments is to conduct a risk assessment. Under the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999, this is a legal requirement for employers when it comes to controlling hazards. Whilst you should have already conducted a risk assessment for your business premises, it’s advisable to conduct an additional one in winter, to address the following:
- Identifying potential hazards
- Assess the risk of an accident happening as a result the identified hazards
- Take preventative action to minimise risk
If your company includes more than 5 members of staff, then, you must by law, record your findings in writing. However, if you have fewer than five staff it is still advisable to document this in a risk assessment.
Identify hazards
Wet weather, colder temperatures and darker days can have implications to the safety of your building. There are ways you can take reasonable steps to ensure that you deal with these hazards such as gritting car parks, walkways and roadways into your premises to help prevent ice from forming. Installing lighting in poorly lit outdoor areas and cordoning off areas that are a slip hazard with cones and warning signs.
Create a plan in case of severe weather and disruption
Even with all the risk assessments and preparation, there may be times where the winter weather makes getting to work dangerous. In these instances it’s good to have a clear policy and plan, and communicate this to all staff.
The first option to consider is to permit staff to work from home. This will help remove the risk of disruption. It’s easier than ever to implement remote working and it’s a guaranteed way to ensure work is being completed during periods of bad weather. From your employees’ perspective, it removes any anxiety they may feel coming into work.
You can expect staff to make every reasonable effort to get to work but this doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily be able to make it in if the conditions are too severe. If you do think the road conditions will be too bad for travel, make sure you notify your employee well in advance. If the employee is late, you don’t have to pay them for the time they miss. However, it is reasonable to agree on a way for the employee to make up for their lost time.
There may also be school closures so employees may need time off to make childcare arrangements. Employees have a statutory right to a reasonable amount of time off to deal with emergency situations involving dependants. This type of time off is usually unpaid, although this will depend on your policy.
What if staff can’t make it to work but you stay open for business? In this scenario, you don’t have to pay them (unless your contract says otherwise). This is a harsh stance to take, however, as the absence isn’t their fault.
The first is to consider allowing employees to take short-notice annual leave for this period. This will ensure they’re still receiving full pay. Other options include using banked lieu hours, or making the time up at a later date.
Closure of the workplace
In extreme circumstances, you may need to completely close your business. This is your decision to make, but it’s important to be aware of the ramifications. First, unless there is a contractual right to places on unpaid lay off, you should pay staff in full. You do this based on the normal hours they would’ve worked if the workplace was open. The same rule applies if you open later or close earlier. Pay employees for their normal hours, even if they aren’t working them.
Working at height in winter
Those working at height and working outdoors in winter can face a particularly challenging time, and employers should take extra care to ensure the health and safety of employees that have to work with additional hazards, on top of the ones that come with the job.
Wet weather, ice snow and strong winds turn a job that already comes with the hazard of heights into an even more challenging and dangerous role. In extreme weather, operatives that specialise in working at height are usually called in to help with urgent maintenance like downed telegraph wiring, unsafe tree branches, blocked gutters and weather damaged roofing.
Ensuring safety during winter weather conditions
Be Proactive, be Prepared, have a Plan. This means controlling the risks and providing appropriate PPE for the conditions. So when being proactive:
- Ensure a robust risk assessment is in place before undertaking any operational actions.
- Ensure a safe system of work is in place.
- Ensure buildings are equipped with the correct fall protection systems.
- Ensure all formal mandatory checks and inspections have been undertaken. This includes any harnesses, lanyards and fixings.
- Ensure maintenance is undertaken. This includes proactive repairs or replacements of equipment in a timely fashion.
- Ensure a competent person inspects temporary access. (For example, a scaffold where a person might fall 2 metres or more). Ensure it is inspected when first erected, at weekly intervals, and after high winds or heavy snowfall.
- Train operatives that may need to work at height in the safe system of work. Include training on dynamic risk assessments and pre-use checking of all safety equipment.
These basic steps will help to protect your employees and bring peace of mind. Your workforce will be as prepared as possible and have the right equipment and processes in place to keep them safe.
