From Spring 2001 - Volume 3, Number 3

Some precautions can reduce your risk of falling victim to this threat.

• Keep the sand, rock salt and ice scraper handy and use them regularly as long as nights go below freezing.
• As snow and ice melt, continue to put sand or calcite on areas where people or animals walk.
• Carefully test surfaces for slipperiness before walking on them this time of the year.
• When going outside wear boots or outdoor shoes with good non-slip tread. Use ice creepers if conditions warrant them.
• Check machine steps and platforms for ice before using them.
• Clean ice off steering wheels, control knobs and pedals of machines before you use them if they have been sitting outside.
• Often walking a few steps farther on bare ground rather than over a shorter icy area can save a fall.
• Where large animals walk on outdoor concrete, check it before the animals use it and apply an abrasive material such as sand or calcite if the surface is at all questionable.
• Even after the ice melts, the mud it leaves behind can be nearly as slippery and dangerous.
• Keeping walkways, stairs and operator platforms clear of clutter will help prevent falls every season of the year.
• Install and/or maintain railings and handholds by steps, platforms and on machines, then use them.
• Provide adequate lighting in outdoor areas where people walk after dark.