Be cautious walking in winter weather

Winter precipitation can make walking and traveling on campus more hazardous. Radiological and Environmental Management (REM) is once again reminding the campus community to travel safely and take the following precautions to help reduce the chance of injuries associated with slipping or falling:

• Wear appropriate footwear, including those that are specifically designed to grip on ice to increase traction. When wearing ice cleats, remember to remove them indoors to avoid slipping.
• Plan routes, and walk only on cleared and treated surfaces. Use pedestrian walkways and subwalks and walk through buildings whenever possible.
• Slow down and take shorter steps to help with traction.
• Avoid carrying heavy or awkward loads. Be sure to wear gloves not only to stay warm, but to also keep hands available for better balancing.
• Use handrails when using stairs or ramps. Consider using an elevator, if available, as indoor stairs may also be wet due to transferred or tracked in snow and ice. Be sure to follow the occupant limit posted for each elevator as part of Protect Purdue. Falls on stairs can lead to severe injuries, especially when slippery conditions are present.
• Use a door or seat to provide stability when getting in or out of a vehicle as parking lots may be slippery.
• Building Services removes snow from building entrances, ramps, steps and sidewalks immediately adjacent to buildings. Please contact the Grounds department at 765-494-3087 regarding snow removal from loading docks, parking areas and main sidewalks.

Self-serve ice melt buckets are available near doors in some facilities across campus. Contact Dave Petros, occupational safety specialist, at petros@purdue.edu to request self-serve buckets for a building.

REM also offers a winter walking safety infographic to print on 11”x17” paper for posting in campus buildings. A two-minute video created by Wyoming Workforce Services is also available and demonstrates some of these winter walking precautions.

For more information, contact REM at 765-494-6371 or email Eric Butt, director, at embutt@purdue.edu.