Salting Pathways and Access Points

Ice and frost on site walkways, ramps, and access points cause slip injuries every winter season.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require safe access routes in all conditions.
Slips on ice are among the most common accident types reported on UK construction sites in winter.
Rock salt (grit) lowers the freezing point of water and provides traction on icy surfaces.
Salt must be spread before the freeze — it is far less effective once ice has already formed.
Key areas requiring gritting include site entrances, car parks, scaffold access, steps, and ramps.
Grit bins must be positioned at strategic locations and kept stocked throughout the winter period.
The site manager should monitor weather forecasts and arrange early morning gritting before workers arrive.
Temporary matting, anti-slip paint, and heated mats provide additional protection at high-traffic points.
Workers arriving before gritting is complete must be warned about ice risk at the gate or sign-in point.

Prevent slip injuries	Ice-related falls cause broken bones, head injuries, and back damage — they are entirely preventable with gritting.
Legal duty	The Workplace Regulations 1992 require employers to ensure pedestrian routes are safe in all weather conditions.
Early action	Salt works best before ice forms — reactive gritting after the freeze is significantly less effective.

Do

Don't

Monitor weather forecasts daily and arrange gritting before freezing conditions arrive.
Grit all walkways, ramps, steps, car parks, and scaffold access points before shift.
Keep grit bins stocked and positioned at site entrances and high-traffic areas.
Clear snow and standing water from walkways before applying grit to the surface.
Warn workers about icy conditions at the gate if gritting is still in progress.
Apply anti-slip matting to scaffold platforms and metal walkways during cold spells.
Include winter gritting duties in the site management daily checklist procedure.
Assign a named person responsible for monitoring conditions and arranging gritting.
Provide rock salt and shovels to workers in remote areas away from the compound.
Record gritting activities in the site log to demonstrate compliance with duties.

DON'T wait until workers arrive to begin gritting — do it before the shift starts.
DON'T assume a dry-looking surface is ice-free — black ice is invisible.
DON'T allow grit bins to run empty during a prolonged cold weather period.
DON'T grit only the main entrance and ignore scaffold access, ramps, and steps.
DON'T use hot water to melt ice — it refreezes and creates a worse surface.
DON'T rely on workers to walk carefully instead of making the surface safe.
DON'T skip gritting at weekends if the site is operating or being accessed.
DON'T pile cleared snow where it will melt and refreeze across a walkway.
DON'T ignore vehicle routes — site vehicles also lose traction on icy haul roads.
DON'T treat winter slips as unavoidable — they are foreseeable and preventable.

See also: Slips Trips and Falls Prevention | Cold Weather Working

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