Health & Safety Preparing for Winter

Health and Safety Review December 2025

Winter brings unique challenges for social care workers who often travel between clients and provide essential support in all conditions. Preparing for cold, dark, and icy days can help you stay safe and maintain service continuity.

It is important that all members of staff are vigilant at times of extreme weather. Your health and safety and the safety of those around is your responsibility, as well as that of your employer.

Plan Ahead
Check weather forecasts daily and allow extra travel time. Inform your team of your schedule and any changes due to conditions.

Vehicle Preparation
Keep your car winter-ready: check tyres, battery, lights, and antifreeze. Carry essentials such as a scraper, de-icer, blanket, torch, water, and snacks.

Driving Safely
Drive slowly on icy or wet roads, maintain longer stopping distances, and use gentle movements for braking and steering. Avoid sudden acceleration or sharp turns.

Contingency Planning
If conditions become unsafe, communicate with your manager immediately. Prioritise safety and reschedule non-urgent visits if necessary.

Policies
Make sure that you have read and understood any policies or advice issued by your company about local rules and procedures in the event of snow and ice. Your employer is not legally obliged to pay you if you cannot get to work due to snow or ice.

Travel
When travelling to work, leave extra time for your journey and ensure that your car is prepared for the weather. Keep your employer informed if weather conditions and transport disruption mean that you will be unable to get to work.

Slips, Trips and Falls
Walking to and from car parks or between buildings at work during cold and icy weather requires special attention to avoid slipping and falling. Slips and falls are some of the most frequent types of injuries during the winter months. Avoid boots or shoes with smooth soles and heels, such as plastic and leather soles. Instead, wear a pair of well insulated boots with good rubber treads and walk slowly and with shorter steps
when on icy surfaces. Main pathways and steps should be cleared, as far as possible, of snow and ice to allow safe access to buildings. Remove as much snow and water from your boots as you can when entering buildings, as water from melting ice on the floor can also lead to slippery conditions.

Updates
Any specific news from your organisation will likely be sent out by email and published on any intranet sites. Keep abreast of this information as weather conditions can deteriorate quickly.

Contact
Ensure you have contact details of people within your organisation in case you are unable to go into work. Similarly, you should ensure your employer has your most up-to-date contact details.

Home and Lone Working
Ensure you have read and understood information concerning home or lone working. You may be asked to work at home, if practical, in situations where you cannot get to your normal place of work.

Parking
Where possible, park in a safe and well-lit area, within a short walking distance of your workplace.

Clothing and Footwear
Ensure that you have ample extra clothing and suitable footwear for ice and snow. Footwear should have grips. Heels should be avoided in deep snow and ice. See ‘Slips, Trips and Falls’ above.

Travelling Home
When leaving your workplace in bad weather, make sure you have a fully charged mobile telephone, plenty of fuel, and that you have consulted relevant guidance. You should inform someone of what time you can expect to arrive, taking into account hazardous driving conditions.