January is often a time when people are focused on going back to work after the holidays. But they should still be thinking about off-the-job safety too since the majority of incidents happen away from work when people tend to be less attentive to safety risks and hazards.
January Blues
January and February are the worst months overall for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and the symptoms don’t fully subside until early May. Even for people who love their jobs, the dark winter months can cause seasonal depression that will affect people at work. In our November off-the-job safety topic post, we briefly touched on things you can do around your workplace to help with that. Our January toolbox talk topics post also discusses working on habits and wellness programs—these things could be combined into a great off-the-job safety talk about seasonal depression and what workers can do to avoid it.
Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week
The third Saturday in January (January 20–27, 2024) marks Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week. There was an alarming increase in snowmobile-related fatalities in 2023. Officials in the State of Michigan reported a 40% increase in snowmobiling fatalities during the 2022-23 season. This is a classic example of why off-the-job safety messaging is so important. Snowmobiling is meant to be a fun leisure activity. Most people aren’t thinking about injuries or fatalities when they set out on their ride.
Snowmobile users have a lot to consider as they prepare to use their snowmobiles: driver needs to map their route, create/tell someone their plan, put on all of the proper protective gear—taking wind, sun, glare, cold, vibration, and motion into consideration—prepare their machine and stock their sled pack, and they’re likely anxious to get going so much of this preparation can be done in a rush. These snowmobiling safety tips can help you create a great off-the-job safety talk for your workers that could save their lives and remind them about the importance of snowmobile safety.
Bath Safety Month
Did you know that 50% of Americans take a bath at least once a week? That’s likely to increase in the month of January, especially in areas that have colder-than-normal temperatures. It might seem like a weird thing to talk about in the workplace but January is Bath Safety Month because there are a surprisingly large number of injuries at home that happen in the tub. According to the CDC, about two-thirds of bathroom injuries happen in the bathtub or shower. Depending on the severity of the injury, it could impact how long your employees are off work with an injury—which makes the at-home incident a workplace problem. This is a great off-the-job safety topic for your employees’ safety, and they can also take this information home for their children or elderly parents.
Our free slips, trips and falls guide has some great tips for how to overcome the slips and falls from slippery surfaces. This guide will not only address the physical causes like slippery surfaces but also provide tips on how to re-engage your employees’ perception of risk and encourage them to build better habits (this could be your New Year’s resolution if you’re looking for one) and understand the human factors to prevent slip, trip and fall incidents in the future.