Winter is coming: What employers and drivers need to know
Driving on B.C.’s highways during the winter can be hazardous, especially for those who drive for work and need to be on the road in all weather conditions.
By Marnie Douglas
The number of work-related crashes climbs sharply in the winter months. Nearly 40% of crashes that result in injury and time off work occur from November through February in B.C.
Shift into Winter is a public awareness campaign designed to inform B.C. drivers about the importance of safe winter driving and help employers and drivers reduce the number of crashes and injuries during this season.
Staying safe in winter requires more than just checking the forecast and adjusting to road conditions. Employers of all sizes need to prepare both vehicles and workers for the change in seasons. This means ensuring that vehicles are properly winterized and that drivers are well-prepared and trained to handle winter driving challenges.
“Employers with workers who drive for work need to address winter driving in their health and safety program,” says Quinto Vizza, industry and program specialist at WorkSafeBC. “Employers need to make sure that workers are trained in winter driving, so they are able to identify hazards, implement controls to address the hazards, and plan their travel accordingly.”
Plan, prepare, protect
“It’s really about preparing yourself and your vehicle for driving in the winter,” says Trace Acres, spokesperson for the Shift into Winter campaign. Two key elements are having winter tires and ensuring good visibility (with fresh wiper blades and working headlights and tail lights).
Acres shares the following useful suggestions for employers:
- Identify all employees who drive for work. Include anyone who drives full time, part time, or occasionally. Don’t forget about workers such as office staff who pick up supplies, or trades crews who drive between jobsites.
- Do a risk assessment and identify control measures. Identify the most common winter driving hazards in your region (e.g., snow, ice, rain, limited visibility) and assess the risk. Ensure drivers know about the hazards and put measures in place to eliminate or minimize the risk. Remind workers of essential winter driving techniques, such as skid control, safe braking, and maintaining safe following distances.
- Inspect and maintain vehicles. Arrange for company vehicles to be inspected regularly during the winter months to ensure they are in safe working condition.
- Train and educate staff. Ensure you have a winter driving policy and review it with drivers. Give clear direction about when driving is not recommended or allowed due to danger weather conditions, and ensure that employees are trained to identify and respond to these situations. Educate workers on the importance of vehicle maintenance, such as checking tire tread and pressure, using winter tires, and ensuring that wipers and lights are working properly. Train them on what to do in case of an emergency, including how to handle a breakdown in wintry weather, how to report unsafe conditions or emergencies, and about the importance of having an emergency kit.
- Communicate often. Use email, text messages, or an internal communication platform to send out frequent updates on weather conditions and driving advisories. Hold a contest on a safe winter driving theme, and use travel first aid kits or a set of wiper blades as prizes.
Make sure you have written check-in procedures in place when workers are travelling, to ensure they have arrived safely to their destinations.
Winter driving success
Neil Domonkos, fleet and equipment trainer for the city of Kelowna, launched a campaign several years ago to promote awareness about winter driving preparedness. Leveraging resources from Shift into Winter, Domonkos shared tips through internal newsletters, posters, and online banners. He even created an online quiz focused on winter driving safety. In the first year, the contest attracted around 200 responses from staff. This year, he anticipates close to 600 participants. Prizes include a set of new winter tires for the winner’s personal vehicle.
“I try and meet with as many staff as possible in November, go to their staff meetings and tailgates, and promote the contest and the ShiftIntoWinter.ca website,” Domonkos says. “The best way to raise awareness is to start the conversation.”
He adds that he’s noticed the “water cooler talk” around safe winter driving has increased significantly in the past several years.
Domonkos also says the City has winter tire guidelines for the more than 300 vehicles in its fleet and encourages staff to not drive when conditions are poor.
Some drivers don’t have the option to stay off the roads, as it’s their job to keep the streets clear and safe for all drivers. Taylor Stroh, road manager for Mainroad Fraser Maintenance LP, has a thorough winter training program for drivers long ahead of the first snowfall.
“Most of the summer and fall is spent getting our trucks and sanders ready, as well as supporting our drivers with training,” he explains. This includes:
- Having experienced drivers lead one-on-one coaching or mentoring for newer drivers
- Reacquainting drivers with their trucks’ specialized winter equipment and holding practice sessions and simulations
- Hosting toolbox talks, reviewing routes, and conducting hazard identification and risk assessments
- Identifying safe turnaround and stopping locations as part of route and trip planning
- Reviewing a checklist for each vehicle that includes items such as ice scrapers, spill kits, winter emergency kits, flares, chains, etc.
“We do it every year with everyone. Then, before any storm event, we’ll have a pre-storm meeting and adjust our plan accordingly,” says Stroh. “The ultimate goal is to keep the roads safe for the public and our crews.”
At the end of the winter driving season, Mainroad’s crews review their experiences and learnings and celebrate safety accomplishments.
Abbie and Sam Morris own FarOut Wilderness, a small, B.C.-based outdoor travel company specializing in 4x4 truck rentals. Winter driving safety extends to both their employees and their clients.
“We train our staff on winter driving preparation, and they pass that along to our clients renting the vehicles,” explains Abbie Morris. Each vehicle is stocked with M&S graded tires, snow chains, emergency recovery equipment, a GPS Messenger to call for help, and even hand and toe warmers!
What’s crucial is ensuring that clients understand what to do should they become stuck on a highway or a backcountry road.
“Who do you call if you need help, do you know your own limits, where and how do you put snow chains on, how do you keep warm and stay safe if stuck on the road in adverse conditions, how do you access current conditions information through DriveBC? It’s so important to be prepared when heading out in the winter,” she adds.
B.C.’s mountain ranges, changing elevations, and unpredictable weather make the province one of the most demanding winter driving environments in North America. For more than half the year — from early October to late April — weather conditions can change from summer-like to wintry over the course of several hours, Morris says.
Before setting out on any trip, it’s important to be aware of road and weather conditions at both the departure point and the destination. So Morris ensures that both staff and clients always check the current conditions and forecasts on DriveBC in advance of hitting the road.
For more information
For more information and resources, visit these pages from Road Safety At Work:
This information originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of WorkSafe Magazine. To read more or to subscribe, visit WorkSafe Magazine.