Winter Journey Management: Protecting Workers in the Winter

A thorough journey management plan will outline proactive processes and practices to protect the employee from hazards that are identified beforehand.

• By Gen Handley
• Jan 04, 2024

During the winter months, employees may be required to travel and drive in colder conditions. This puts them in riskier occupational circumstances, especially when they travel alone.

To ensure workers who must drive for their jobs are safe, employers should consider developing a comprehensive, customized journey management plan for the employees who are driving and using company vehicles for the job. A thorough journey management plan will outline proactive processes and practices to protect the employee from hazards that are identified beforehand. 

Understanding Winter Risks

The occupational hazards that accompany winter are arguably more severe, particularly related to tasks outdoors and traveling from worksite to worksite. The winter occupational hazards that come with snow and ice include slippery road conditions, visibility issues and the increased likelihood of vehicular and bodily accidents and injury, such as slips and falls as well as frostbite and hypothermia. 

Additionally, if traveling alone to different public sites, lone employees are at risk of assault and violence by members of the public, as well as verbal and emotional harassment. While these risks may not be typically thought of as winter worker safety hazards, violence is definitely a risk that is possible while out on the road.

The Role of Journey Management

To help address all of these different occupational hazards facing traveling workers in the winter, develop a journey management plan that’s unique to employees’ special safety needs. The first component is to exhaustively conduct a risk assessment of the conditions in which employees will be traveling (company vehicle/personal vehicle, different sites/stops). Once any hazards have been identified, then protocols and steps can be developed to make their traveling conditions safer and more manageable.

Strategic planning and scheduling. One of the simplest steps employers can take is to look at coordinating more workers together or aligning tasks so that carpooling is coordinated and employees do not work alone. This also includes aligning site and maintenance visits as well as any other opportunities where some overlap may take place.

Connect and communicate. However it is accomplished, throughout the worker’s travel, they must maintain communication with their employer so that they can confirm their safety. Real-time communication is important, as current updates may be required depending on the risks and hazards of their job.

Emergency preparedness and response planning. The foundation of journey management is based on emergency preparedness and any proactive work that can be done now to prepare the employee as best as possible for what lies ahead. While slightly different for every plan and company, every journey management plan has core fundamentals that include:

• vehicle winterization and preparation 
• route and travel plan
• as well as the traditional emergency preparedness safety kit

Technology's Role in Enhancing Safety

A major component of an effective journey management plan is the use and heavy reliance on safety technologies and devices for several OHS and human resource areas. Advanced GPS-tracking technologies leveraged during journey management will allow employers to send help anywhere in the world if their employee requires immediate medical attention in an accident. Satellite and GPS technologies do not monitor every activity of the employee but only track their location for their safety and security.

Regular connection and communication are essential in an effective journey management plan, requiring the traveling worker – who is sometimes alone – to confirm their safety with their employer. Advances in smaller devices, smartphone apps and an automated check-in system can ensure these mobile employees will remember to check in with their managers. 

Most importantly, automated technologies will request help when the employee is unable to (e.g., if they are injured or in an accident). Using motion sensors in our smartphones and other devices, current OHS solutions will alert immediate emergencies with fall detection and other advanced automated safety features that do not require another person at the same location.

The Benefits of Journey Management

The benefits of journey management can be notable and diverse. The most significant is the improved safety of the traveling employee who faces fewer occupational hazards and risks due to proactive assessment, planning and scheduling. By identifying and documenting any occupational travel hazards early on, an employer can mitigate and eliminate them before they harm one of their people.

Facing fewer dangers and hazards at work, the employee may also experience less stress and anxiety, as well as improved peace of mind that they are traveling on the job safely to the desired destinations. The improved communication that comes with safety technologies will also benefit employee well-being and engagement, regardless of where their location may be, thanks to advanced technologies such as satellite-tracking devices.

Enjoy the Journey

No matter the distance, planning ahead eliminates the worry of getting into a cold car on that snowy day for work. Journey management and journey management plans take care of the safety and risk in advance so that more attention and energy can be spent on the travel—or “journey”—and the work and tasks at hand. The more work done now, the less stress down the road.