C&M
SPECIAL REPORT
A chilling reminder of your duty of care this winter Brendan Aherne, managing director of winter services at OUTCO, offers some advice to businesses to assist in effective winter planning. THE past year has made the Met Office’s
Despite this lack of planning, the Health and
safety and welfare at work of all employees,
history books for some of the chilliest UK
Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that around
including the provision of a safe working
weather on record, with February temperatures
five million days are lost each year through
environment. This duty of care also extends
dropping well below -20°C. While these kinds
workplace injuries, costing the UK economy
beyond staff to anyone visiting, or passing by
of temperatures are by no means unheard of in
billions of pounds. Slips, trips and falls
the facility, including suppliers on company
the UK, ‘extreme weather events’ are becoming
account for over a third of employee injuries
business and members of the public.
more commonplace. That is why the issue was
- making up more than half of all reported
at the very heart of topics addressed by world
major/specified injuries and almost 29%
to demonstrate that it has done everything
leaders at the recent COP26 summit.
over-seven-day injuries - and more than 50%
reasonably possible to meet its duty of care.
of such accidents take place during the coldest
Any plan has to ensure compliance with all
temperature swings make it very difficult for
months of the year. These statistics serve as
health and safety legislation and demonstrate
businesses to prepare for the risks of wintery
a chilling reminder to all businesses of their
that effective steps have been taken to make
conditions. Indeed, research by the Institute of
responsibility to protect people from the risks
sites safe for staff and customers during harsh
Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)
of slips and falls in icy conditions.
winter weather.
that their organisation doesn’t actually have a
Meeting your duty of care
matter: failing to get things right can have a
winter maintenance plan in place - and of those
and avoiding liabilities
major effect on any individuals that come to
that do, 26% fail to review it annually. But how
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states
harm and also to an organisation’s reputation
prepared do businesses need to be when the
that an employer has a duty of care to ensure,
and its finances. There is also the risk of legal
bad weather hits?
so far as is reasonably practicable, the health,
action. Over the past few years there has been
These kinds of dramatic and volatile
Clearly, this is more than an administrative
found that almost a quarter of its members said
16 JANUARY 2022
As a result, every organisation must be able
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