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Winter Weather Communication Planning for Safety Leaders

December 19, 2024 | BCSP Staff Guide

Winter Weather Communication Planning for Safety Leaders
 

The sudden onset of inclement weather during the winter months can pose a significant risk to workers. Ice, sleet, or snow caused 13,960 injuries involving days away from work in the United States in 2020, with over 5,000 of those necessitating trips to medical facilities, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Key to the prevention of injuries related to winter weather is having a communication plan that allows swift response to inclement weather conditions.
 

To best protect your team, it is important your winter weather communications be comprehensive, multi-channel, clear, responsive, and up-to-date.

Comprehensive
A comprehensive plan ensures no one is left out of critical communications. Ensure all personnel receive inclement weather notifications by adding them to your communication tool(s) as part of onboarding. Be sure to include temporary, part-time, or contract workers.
 
Multi-channel
Having a multi-channel notification system increases the likelihood that notifications will reach your team members. Relying on a single method of communication raises the risk of missed messages, particularly during power outages or network disruptions, which are common in severe weather. By building redundancy, a multi-channel approach ensures that if one method fails (e.g., internet service is lost), other channels like text alerts or mobile apps can fill the gap. A multi-channel approach also increases reach, as some employees may have better access to text messages than emails or rely on push notifications over phone calls. Different employees may more quickly see certain types of communication as well.
 
Clear
To be effective, the instructions sent as part of a winter weather communication plan must be clear. To provide clarity, consider the various winter weather situations that may require notifications and pre-prepare text for those. Keep messages brief and to the point. Precise instructions like “Work is canceled today due to inclement weather.” or “Work will end at 3 p.m. today due to inclement weather.” leave little room for misinterpretation.
 
Responsive
To better protect your team from winter weather hazards, consider how they might respond to the notifications you send, especially if those are phone calls, emails, or text messages. Most alert systems allow replies to be forwarded to a designated point person, to return an automated response, or both. Be prepared to provide information your team can use to track emergent weather conditions, such as a link to your national weather service or a local radio station that provides weather updates.
 
Up-to-date
Contact information that is inaccurate or outdated can derail the best communication plan. Regularly remind team members to provide you with updated contact information, and be sure to request such information before the onset of winter every year.

 

Should you not have a method of alerting your team to inclement winter weather that meets these conditions, you might consider emergency notification software. A variety of these systems are listed on Info-Tech Research Group’s Software Reviews page for Emergency Notification Software. BCSP does not endorse or recommend any one specific system, but provides this information to support you in determining which system is best for your organization.

By ensuring your winter weather communication plan is comprehensive, multi-channel, clear, responsive, and up-to-date, you can protect your team this winter, support them during inclement weather, and keep your organization safe during challenging situations so that it can continue to thrive.

Tags: Communication Planning Emergency Management Emergency Planning Winter Weather Preparedness Winter Safety

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