Managing the Risk of Crashes Caused by
Winter Conditions:
A presentation for companies that have employees who
drive for work in winter conditions
Overview
• Review crash statistics
• Define responsibilities of owners/employers,
supervisors, and employees
• Describe how to manage
risk of crashes caused by
winter conditions
• Learn where to find
information, tools and
resources on safe
winter driving
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Winter driving is hazardous
• Motor-vehicle incidents (MVIs) are a leading cause of workplace
deaths in BC
• Each week on average, 24 workers are injured in MVIs and miss
time from work1
• More work-related vehicle crashes causing injuries occur
between October and February. 1
• Casualty crashes caused by driving too fast for conditions nearly
double from almost 140 in October to over 260 in December2
1
WorkSafeBC
2
Police reported data, ‘Driving Too Fast for the Conditions’, 2008-2012.
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Everyone has responsibilities for safety
As an employer you must:
• Ensure the health and safety of all your employees
• Establish a safety program; take action to eliminate or minimize the
risk of workplace injury
• Ensure that your workers are made aware of workplace hazards
(including work-related driving hazards)
• Provide your workers with information, training, equipment, and
supervision to follow safe work procedures
• Remedy any hazardous workplace condition
• (Depending on the size of the firm) support the joint OHS
committee (JOHSC) or worker safety representative
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Everyone has responsibilities for safety
As a supervisor you must:
• Ensure the health and safety of all workers under your direct
supervision
• Know the hazards associated with driving, the applicable
regulations, and how to eliminate or minimize the risk of injury
caused by the hazards
• Ensure that workers under your supervision:
- know the hazards and how to protect themselves
- have the necessary training and equipment
- follow safe work procedures and practices, and correct them
when they don’t
• Consult with the JOHSC / worker safety representative
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Everyone has responsibilities for safety
Employees must:
• Comply with company safety policies and safe work procedures
• Report any unsafe work conditions or acts to their supervisor or
employer
• Cooperate with JOHSC / worker safety representative
When driving
• Comply with the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, Motor Vehicle Act
Regulations and other applicable laws and statutes
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Managing the risk of crashes
Vehicle preparation
For both company owned
and personal vehicles
used for work, ensure
that vehicles are
equipped for winter
conditions.
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Managing the risk of crashes
Vehicle Preparation (cont’d)
• Service vehicles before winter
• Install four matched winter tires (look
for the mountain and snowflake logo on the sidewall)
• Install new winter wiper blades
• Equip all vehicles with a winter-survival kit
• Carry a cell phone (and charging cable)
• Clear frost from all windows and snow / ice from all vehicle
surfaces before starting the trip
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Managing the risk of crashes
Driver preparation
Ensure employees:
• Have the driving skills,
knowledge and
experience to drive in
winter conditions
• Know the company’s
winter driving safe work
procedures
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Managing the risk of crashes
Trip preparation
•
Look at different ways to
conduct business to
remove or reduce driving
requirements
•
If trips need to made:



Check weather and road conditions
Plan route to avoid hazardous roads
Adjust schedule to allow for more travel time
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Managing the risk of crashes
On the road
• Slow down: drop speed to match conditions
• Maintain a safe following distance (the four-second rule)
•
•
•
•
Watch for / anticipate black ice (+4°C to -4°C)
Accelerate and brake slowly
Don’t use cruise control
Be visible: always drive
with headlights on
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Tools & Resources
Employer Toolkit
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Tools & Resources
Tip sheets
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Tools & Resources
Tip sheets (cont’d)
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Tools & Resources
Tip sheets (cont’d)
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Tools & Resources
Tip sheets (cont’d)
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Tools & Resources
Winter Driving Survival Checklist
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Tools & Resources
Websites
ShiftIntoWinter.ca
DriveBC.ca
RoadSafetyAtWork.com
WorkSafeBC.com
ICBC.com
WeatherOffice.gc.ca
tc.gc.ca
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Disclaimer
This presentation does not take the place of professional occupational health and safety
advice and is not guaranteed to meet the requirements of applicable laws, regulations,
and rules, including workplace health and safety laws and motor vehicle and traffic
laws. The members of the Winter Driving Safety Alliance and their respective
employees, officers, directors or agents (collectively “WDSA”) assume no liability for or
responsibility for any loss or damage suffered or incurred by any person arising from or
in any way connected with the use of or reliance upon the information contained in this
presentation including, without limitation, any liability for loss or damage arising from
the negligence or negligent misrepresentation of any of the WDSA in any way
connected with the information contained in this presentation. The information
provided in this presentation is provided on an “as is” basis. The WDSA does not
guarantee, warrant, or make any representation as to the quality, accuracy,
completeness, timeliness, appropriateness, or suitability of any of the information
provided, and disclaims all statutory or other warranties, terms, or obligations of any
kind arising from the use of or reliance upon the information provided, and assumes no
obligation to update the information provided or advise on future developments
concerning the topics mentioned.
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Questions?