Over Sunday night and Monday morning the UK was subjected to one of the worst storms in decades. Wind speeds were recorded as reaching nearly 100 mph, causing falling trees and loss of power in some areas. The storm brought with it heavy downpours of rain throughout the country, which led to flooding in certain places. As a result of the treacherous weather, there have been a number of disruptions to travel and transport services up and down the country, making the commute to work during rush hour more difficult than normal.
Nevertheless, workers made their way through the wind and rain to get to their jobs this morning. In weather conditions such as this, the risk of people slipping on wet floors and surfaces dramatically increases. When it rains and people are travelling to work from their homes, whether it’s on foot, in the car or on the bus, the surfaces they walk upon can get very slippery.
If you commute to work by train or underground tube then the risk of slips and falls is high. These are places which see large numbers of people passing through constantly, especially during rush hour in the morning and evening. Passengers bring in water from the rainy streets outside, which inevitably makes the surfaces slippery. There are also a lot of stairs in these locations which also get wet and are easy to slip and injure yourself on. To help reduce the risk of slips and falls during wet weather conditions, anti-slip sheets and surfaces can be installed in the most hazardous areas. Stair Treads are ideal for any location with stairs, where a number of people come from outside to indoors bringing the rain water from their shoes with them. These devices are placed on the stairs, fully covering the area and providing added grip. These treads will help to prevent slips and falls caused by water and wet floors during the commute to work.
These can also be used in places where you might find outdoor stairs, such as schools or construction sites. Outdoor stairways are particularly susceptible to getting wet and slippery because the rain water falls directly on to them. So in these situations it is paramount that some sort of stair treads or grips are in place to prevent any accidents that may occur.
It is also important to highlight wet floors in the workplace. If a number of workers are entering an office space after their morning commute through the rain, the floor of the reception or corridors with non-carpeted surfaces where most people walk will become slippery as the water from outside is trampled in. As well as having grip sheets and mats in place to help prevent slips and to soak up the majority of the water, the employer must highlight that the floor is slippery. This can be done by placing a Wet Floor Sign around the slippery area. This will alert workers and people entering the building, with wet feet, to take care whilst walking around because of the wet floor and reducing the risk of accident.
Visibility levels were also very low this morning, due to the heavy rain, so it was essential that in these conditions cyclists and pedestrians make sure that they can be seen by passing motorists. Wearing hi-viz clothing ensures that you are visible to all traffic, keeping yourself safe in these dull conditions.
So in these wet and windy weather conditions it is important to stay safe and to make sure those commuters on their way to the office are helped to avoid slips and falls during their journey and once they have made it to work.
Follow the links to see our full range of Grip Sheets, Wet Floor Signs and Hi-Viz Clothing.
Posted in News, Health and Safety