Safety Reference Guides

Winter Walking

Every year, hundreds of Wisconsinites are injured from falling on slippery parking lots and walkways. To improve your chances of surviving the winter without a potentially devastating fall, improve the traction of the shoes you where outdoors. This can be done by wearing a good pair of shoes with a lugged sole on the way into work and then changing to business shoes once inside or by adding removable traction to your business shoes.

While many different add-on traction devices for shoes are available, one highly recommended product for adding removable traction to any shoe is Yaktrax (www.yaktrax.com). Yaktrax are available at several local retailers and are well worth the $20 purchase price.

To further improve the odds:

• Always expect slippery walking conditions when the temperature is low
• Keep your eyes on your path of travel and be on the lookout for slippery spots
• Don't take shortcuts over piles of snow to avoid walking around on a safer path
• Take small careful steps when traction is in doubt