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Plan Ahead for Winter Weather Conditions

Depending on which weather forecast you believe the chances of another harsh winter are high and the tabloids have already run with “Snowmageddon” headlines predicting an early return to the arctic conditions experienced last year. Scientists believe we are entering a natural climatic cycle where the combination of low sunspot activity and changes in deep ocean water temperatures combine to create much colder winters in the northern hemisphere. Similar conditions are thought to have been the principle trigger for mini ice ages in the more recent past.

Long range weather forecasts are of course notoriously unpredictable but the best advice is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The first priority in your winter safety preparations is to ensure staff and customers can come and go in safety which means keeping site entrances, walkways and car parks free of ice and snow.

Natural rock salt is the de-icer of choice for our roads and motorways but the high level of impurities turns the ice into a corrosive brown gritty sludge that causes a major problem when trodden into carpets and floorings. By contrast modern white crystal de-icers leave no residue and kilo for kilo are far more effective and long lasting than rock salt. They can be purchased in a range of sizes from handy single application dispensers to bulk pallets to last the winter through.

Site storage is an issue to consider and purpose made salt and grit bins offer a safe and practical solution. For keeping business car parks free of ice and snow investing in a salt spreader can save a lot of time, toil and trouble. If your business shares a car park or pedestrian walkway with adjacent businesses why not consider clubbing together to share the cost of providing winter safety precautions. Homeowners can adopt a similar community approach to winter safety with their neighbours. My own village set up a self help scheme last winter to ensure our elderly and vulnerable residents were not trapped in their homes by snow and treacherous icy paths. It was surprising how quickly a few willing hands, half a dozen snow scoops and a bag of de-icer did the job.

As is always the case there is a spike in demand following the first snow fall and availability of product quickly becomes an issue so don’t be caught napping and plan ahead. You can find further information on the types and properties of de-icers in our product and Advice pages.

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Winter Nights – Safety Driving

Once again our politicians at Westminster have bowed to the Scottish lobby and missed another opportunity to ditch the ludicrous time warp that is Daylight Saving Time which now plunges us all into darkness by 4pm. I dislike driving in the dark at the best of times but in deep winter with any combination of ice, snow, fog and rain the commute home is even more hazardous and stressful.

Traffic death rates are three times greater at night, yet many of us are unaware of the hazards that night driving poses or effective ways to minimise the risk. It is therefore all the more important to prepare for your journey and take sensible safety precautions to protect you and your passengers.

Start out by ensuring the vehicle is roadworthy. Check for blown bulbs, check tyre pressures and oil levels, fill the screen wash tanks and check the cabin demist is working.
When driving at night follow these tips on safer driving

• Use your lights responsibly – Turn headlights on one hour before sunset and leave on for at least half an hour after sunrise to make it easier for other drivers to see you in early twilight. Use your high beams sparingly at all times but in fog use low beam headlights in conjunction with fog lamps if you have them.

• Avoid glare – Don’t look directly at oncoming headlights and use the day night shift on the rear view mirror to prevent glare from following traffic.

• Keep all windows and headlights clean – Dirty windows diffuse light and can increase glare, making it more difficult to see, while dirty headlights can reduce efficiency by as much as 90 percent.

• Be alert – Look for flashes of light at hilltops, curves and junctions that may indicate the headlights of approaching vehicles.

• Increase your following distance – Increasing your distance by four to five seconds can make it easier to spot potential problems on the roadway and give you more time to react safely.

• Avoid fatigue - Night driving can be tiring, so on long journeys ensure good ventilation inside the cabin, and take frequent refreshment breaks to give your eyes a chance to recover. Take a short nap or a brisk walk, or have some caffeine to help you stay alert.

• Glasses- Anti-reflective (AR) coating reduces internal reflections in the lenses. AR-coated glasses also transmit more light than regular lenses which can improve vision at night.

Finally if we have anything like the winter of last year you should also consider equipping the car with a winter survival pack to get you out of trouble should you break down or become stranded.
Carry at least one reflective warning triangle in case of a vehicle breakdown, so you are as visible to other drivers as possible.  A snow shovel and small tub of icemelt is a must to escape from drifts and icy roads. To sustain body and mind having warm weather proof clothing, rugged rigger boots, a blanket, thermos and a supply of high energy food would be a potential lifesaver.

If you have more tips for our readers then let us know.

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10 Work Place Safety Essentials When Starting a Business.

You may think that business start-up’s in the current economic climate would be a rare occurrence yet government statistics still report “Business Births” as they term it at approaching 200,000 a year. Starting a business is stressful enough with so much red tape and regulations to plough through. Work place safety including fire safety is just one aspect but at least we can help with a rundown of 10 essential provisions to put budding entrepreneurs on the right side of the law.

• Display a Health and Safety Law poster prominently in the premises either on reception or in a communal staff area.
• Display Fire Signs detailing what to do in the event of fire, the designated escape routes and fire assembly points.
• Display a No Smoking Sign at each public entrance to the premises
• Conduct a fire risk assessment and utilise the outcome to determine any extra fire safety provisions such as Fire Extinguishers. If you need help purchase one of our self help manuals or step by step fire risk assessment tools. It’s far less expensive that employing a consultant.
• Purchase a Fire Log Book to record fire safety training, fire equipment maintenance records, fire drills and fire action plans. This is mandatory if you employ 5 or more people.
• Accidents can happen in any business so a First Aid Kit is a good safeguard.
• If the business extends over several rooms install a Rotary Hand Bell in a usually occupied room that can be heard throughout the building.
• In unoccupied rooms such as storage, server or computer rooms that present a fire risk install Smoke Detectors. For large premises extending to many rooms or more than one floor interlinked wired smoke detectors and alarms are preferred.
• If in the course of your business activity you store and use quantities of hazardous substances, described generally as toxic, corrosive or flammable you should store these in a suitable Flammable Storage Cabinet compliant with the COSHH or DSEAR regulations.
• Having done all this you should then bring in your insurers and ensure you have third party liability insurance appropriate to your business. Having a clear fire and safety policy in place should help with the premiums.

You can find more information in our Advice section on Fire Safety Management and if you have any further tips to help start up businesses let us know.

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Safety Tips for Bonfire Night

Fawkes Night on November 5th is an ancient tradition originally intended as a celebration of the failure of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators to blow up Parliament and King James I in particular. Although the history is largely forgotten, taking the opportunity to gather the family round a blazing fire and watch a fire work display is still popular. Fire Safety is paramount and many accidents can be avoided by good preparation and some common sense. Here are some tips to ensure an enjoyable and safe bonfire night.

• First of all consider attending an organised event rather than risking your safety by having a garden bonfire.
• If you do have a home bonfire warn your neighbour’s beforehand as a courtesy or better still invite them to the party, so they are less likely to complain.
• It’s a good idea to wear protective clothing if you are in charge of the fire. Flame retardant Overalls, sturdy boots and flame resistant leather rigger gloves are inexpensive safeguards and are useful the year round.
• Only burn dry material as damp fuel generates more smoke and never burn plastics or car tyres as they can produce highly toxic gases.
• Build your bonfire away from sheds, timber fences, trees and any overhanging cables or telephone wires
• Use firelighters to get the fire going. Petrol and paraffin may flare up and can get out of control quickly
• Use a fire bucket filled with sand to light your fireworks and launch rockets.  At the end of the night the sand can be used to smother the fire.
• Have a water fire extinguisher handy or a connected garden hose with a spray attachment nearby in case of emergencies
• Set up a cordon to keep children well away from the bonfire
• Don’t throw any fireworks into the fire even if you believe they are spent
• Sparklers are fun but can be dangerous to small children. Always supervise them and provide a bucket of water to dunk the spent sparklers after use.

Laws governing fireworks
You should also be aware that there are Laws governing the use of fireworks. Breaking these laws can result in fines of up to a £5000 and 3 month imprisonment.
For Bonfire night fireworks can only be sold to adults over 18 years of age and only between the 15th October and the 10th November.
It is an offence to set off fireworks in the street or public places without a licence. If caught the police can give you an on-the-spot fine of £80
Even on Bonfire night and the nights surrounding this date fireworks must not be set off after midnight.

Finally don’t be tempted to buy cheap fireworks from “out of the back of a van” dealers and temporary unlicenced shops. Look for fireworks marked BS 7114 or a “CE” mark that shows the fireworks meet British or European safety standards.

Have a safe bonfire night. If you have any further tips or can recommend good organised events let our readers know.

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10 things to do for safety in the home

1. Fit smoke alarms – the simplest and cheapest safeguard to give early warning of a fire, prevent a major fire developing and give you time to get you and the kids to a safe place. Fire safety in the home contains essential advice on what and where to fit.

2. Ensure you have adequate home contents insurance. It’s cheaper than you think and is even cheaper if you combine with buildings insurance, have an intruder alarm, lockable windows and a good no claims record.

3. Gather all your important documents together including passports and put them in a secure place – a decent quality home safe preferably with fire resistance or a fire safe security cash box is ideal. Be sure to bolt it down to something solid to thwart the opportunist thief.

4. Reduce nuisance phone calls that invariably come in the middle of the evening meal by registering with the Telephone Preference Service at www.tpsonline.org.uk or call 0800 398 893. This only works for UK organisations and takes about a month for these calls to stop. Unfortunately some other unwanted calls are more difficult to stop.

5. Put a No Cold Callers sign on the gate – they used to say No Hawkers in my day but the effect is the same in preventing hard sell salesman and dubious religious disciples arriving at your back door. You can download a No Cold – Callers sign from www.moneysavingexpert.com/nocallers

6. Invest in a fire blanket and ABF or Wet Chemical fire extinguisher for the kitchen where 75% of all home fires start. Make sure everyone in the house knows where they are kept and how to use them.

7. Draw up a Fire Action Plan with the whole family to agree what to do in the event of a fire and who should do it.

8. If you have lockable windows that may provide a means of escape make sure there is a release key in every habitable room. Obviously don’t leave in full view on the windowsill or in the lock.

9. If your family needs to access the house at different times rather than have several duplicate main door keys install a key safe box by the door. It’s far safer than leaving a key “under the mat” or risking being locked out should a key go missing.

10. Of course even with the best planning and good intentions tragedies will still happen so make a Will to save your family the hassle and expense of a protracted Probate. If you have young ones discuss and agree who you would want to be their future Guardians if the worst happens and include in the Will or separate legal statement.

If you have any further suggestions on actions to make home life worry free let us know.