BRITISH COLUMBIA – Winter roads can be dangerous for employees who drive for work. It doesn’t matter how experienced they are, how often they drive, or whether they use a company or personal vehicle. The risk of being in a work-related crash increases during November through January in BC.
That’s why the annual Shift into Winter campaign recommends employers start planning now to reduce the driving risks for your staff – before winter hits. Tire and chain regulations for vehicles take effect October 1 in BC.
Know your safety responsibilities
Keeping your staff safe is good business. It’s also your legal responsibility. You need to ensure employees:
- are aware of driving hazards and know how to assess risks
- are properly trained for driving conditions
- have the equipment and supervision they need to stay safe
To help meet your responsibilities, review our Winter Driving Safety Tool Kit for Employers. It includes tailgate meeting guides.
Steps employers can take
Start by developing or updating your winter driving safety policy and procedures. Involve employees to help you.
- Prepare your drivers.
Provide winter driving safety training for everyone who gets behind the wheel for any work-related reason, from delivery drivers to sales reps to office workers who make supply runs. Give them our guide on what workers need to know. Have them check DriveBC for road conditions and weather reports.
- Remind drivers that as conditions change, so should their speed.
They need to slow down and increase their following distance to at least 4 seconds. It takes longer to stop on a slippery road.
- Winterize vehicles.
The basics include installing a set of 4 matched winter tires and doing a maintenance check-up. Place an emergency kit in every vehicle. If employees use their own vehicles for work, ensure they follow these guidelines.
More resources to help you
Shift into Winter’s free training resources for employers include our Keeping Your Employees Safe During Winter Driving webinar andWinter Driving Safety for Employers and Supervisors online course.
