Winter Hazards Are Coming — Is Your Team Ready?

Every year, the first freeze catches someone off guard. A foreman slips walking across icy gravel. A heater fails in a portable office. A driver skids during pre-dawn travel. We tell ourselves these are outliers — but they’re not. They’re patterns. And they start when organizations assume their winter safety plan from last year is still “good enough.”

In reality, conditions change. Crews change. And expectations change, too — especially from regulators, clients, and auditors.

So ask yourself this now — before the first snowstorm:

Do we have an updated, enforceable winter safety strategy that holds up in the field AND in an audit?

Because in construction, oil & gas, warehousing, logistics, and other high-risk industries, it’s not just about PPE and grit. It’s about proving control of your risk exposure when it matters most — and that starts long before the thermometer drops below zero.

Why Winter Safety Still Fails (And What Great Leaders Do Instead)

Let’s be clear: most winter incidents aren’t caused by freak weather or bad luck. They’re caused by:

• Incomplete hazard assessments that don’t capture seasonal risks

• Assumptions about worker awareness (e.g., “everyone knows how to dress”)

• Inconsistent field supervision or undocumented walkthroughs

• Paper processes that can’t be tracked, audited, or validated

In contrast, organizations that lead in winter safety do three things exceptionally well:

1. Plan by temperature, not by calendar

Smart teams use historical weather data and early warnings to kickstart their cold-weather protocols — not wait until someone slips. They trigger toolbox talks when conditions shift, not just when a storm hits.

2. Lead from the front

Supervisors aren’t just responsible for repeating safety reminders. They’re role models. That means checking PPE, participating in FLHAs, and making sure winter hazards are documented, mitigated, and signed off in real time.

3. Digitize what matters

Winter is a documentation killer. Clipboards get lost. Ink runs. Pages freeze. The move to digital forms (like SiteDocs) isn’t about “going paperless.” It’s about protecting your evidence — and your people — when it counts.

Your Winter Safety Control Blueprint

Here’s a field-tested set of actions you can implement immediately, broken down by focus area:

🔍 Hazard Assessments

• Add cold stress, poor visibility, heater use, and surface conditions to every FLHA

• Use drop-down options for faster digital entries (available in most safety platforms)

• Include a “Weather Conditions” section with temp, wind chill, and lighting notes

🧤 PPE & Gear Checks

• Require a bi-weekly visual inspection of all issued winter PPE

• Document gear issues with a photo + replacement request form

• Include gear standards in your safety orientation for new workers

🚛 Vehicles & Equipment

• Verify all pre-trips include heater, defrost, and lighting checks

• Document any idle times in extreme cold (especially for equipment warm-ups)

• Use a digital checklist that notifies supervisors when items are marked “fail”

🧊 Slips, Trips & Ice Management

• Maintain a daily sanding/salting log by site location

• Encourage “Buddy Walks” for spotting icy patches during early shifts

• Use real-time photo uploads in inspection apps to track hazard correction

🔥 Warm-Up Zones & Recovery

• Define minimum shelter standards in your ERP (heating, proximity, signage)

• Schedule warm-up breaks for outdoor crews under -20°C or in wind chills

• Train all staff on signs of cold stress and frostbite — not just first aiders

What Role-Based Accountability Looks Like

Role	Key Winter Safety Duties
Workers	Wear approved PPE, participate in FLHAs, report icy surfaces or cold-related symptoms
Supervisors	Lead toolbox talks, enforce break schedules, ensure inspections are signed and submitted
HSE Coordinators	Monitor form completion, schedule training, follow up on flagged cold-weather concerns
Management	Approve supply budgets, track training completions, support digital tool adoption

Every role matters. But leadership makes the difference.

Recent Provincial Guidance and Enforcement Trends (2024–2025)

Here's what’s changed — or stayed the same — in key provinces heading into this winter:

• Alberta: No material change in 2025, but OHS continues to flag PPE non-compliance and cold stress response gaps as frequent causes of stop-work orders. Review OHS Code Sections 183–185.

• British Columbia: October 2024 – WorkSafeBC revised expectations for cold exposure controls in forestry and construction. Employers must document exposure assessments when wind chills drop below -20°C. Read update

• Saskatchewan: No new legislation, but recent inspections have focused on lack of documentation for shelter and heating plans. Saskatchewan OHS site

• Ontario: January 2025 – New enforcement memo targets “high slip zones” in construction and warehousing. Inspectors now request proof of traction control logs and toolbox talks delivered post-weather events. See guidance

Courses That Strengthen Winter Compliance

These mobile-friendly online courses can be assigned today — no classroom needed:

• Cold Stress Awareness – Covers frostbite, hypothermia, hazard recognition, and recovery

• Winter Driving – Teaches defensive strategies, vehicle prep, and emergency response

• Fall Protection – Includes icy surface mitigation and elevated work considerations

• Leadership for Safety Excellence – Empowers foremen and site leads to enforce field-level controls

• Daily Trip Inspection – Updated for winter-specific checks and NSC compliance

Use promo code ONTRACK10 to save 10% on any course.

Tools to Download and Use Today

Grab these free tools from our resource library:

• ✅ Winter Jobsite Toolbox TalkUse to refresh your crews on exposure symptoms, safe work practices, and ice prevention

  
  

Your Winter Prep Roadmap

Here’s a simple 30-day path to improved winter readiness:

• This Week: Deliver toolbox talk + inspect PPE + update FLHA with winter prompts

• Next Week: Set up digital forms + assign cold stress and winter driving training

• By Month-End: Audit your records — confirm signed inspections, supervisor walkthroughs, and site-specific cold plans are documented

• Ongoing: Review conditions daily and deliver refresher talks after storms or near misses

Let On-Track Make Winter Readiness Easier

From downloadable checklists to online courses and pre-loaded SiteDocs forms, we help you run a safer, smarter winter program — without starting from scratch. Our Free Group Training Portal lets you assign courses, monitor certificates, and get alerts when training expires.

Get Your Team Winter-Ready Now

✔ Set up in under 5 minutes

✔ Use promo code ONTRACK10 for 10% off any course

✔ Access 1,500+ courses, mobile-ready