Winter weather reminders for Health Sciences Campus community

Winter weather can create many hazards that affect our personal health and safety. The WVU and WVU Medicine facilities teams work hard to ensure the roads, parking lots, sidewalks and other paths of travel are safe, but it takes effort and attention from all of us to ensure our personal safety. Below are some reminders to keep you safe and prevent injuries during the winter season.

• Before getting completely out of your vehicle, place one foot on the pavement to see if the surface conditions are icy. Many falls occur as people are getting out of their vehicle.
• Walk on sidewalks, areas of the roadways and parking lots that have been plowed and treated for snow and ice. Injuries often occur because people take “short cuts” that aren’t safe.
• Hold onto handrails for stability and security when walking up and down stairs or other surfaces with handrails.
• Wear appropriate shoes. When snow, ice and slush are present, wear shoes that are solid-toed, flat-bottomed, have good tread and tie up around the ankle. This helps provide some stability and traction under the feet. Employees should refrain from wearing heels or other shoes that do not provide tread or a stable surface. Employees can always change into regular shoes once they arrive safely in the building.
• Pay attention to your surroundings such as stairs, curbs and nearby drivers. Make sure vehicles have completely stopped before walking in front of them at crosswalks.
• Avoid carrying heavy loads or multiple items when walking.
• Put you phone away. Avoid carrying and talking on your phone when walking-surface conditions are not ideal.

During winter months the roadways on campus are inspected on a continual basis by the University Police Department and WVU Facilities Management staff. Facilities Management provides snow and ice removal as conditions warrant for 4 miles of campus roads, over 25 miles of sidewalks, approximately 5,000 steps and many acres of parking lots. In most instances, snow and ice removal will occur simultaneously for roadways, parking lots, primary sidewalks and primary entrances. If you have special snow removal requests, please contact our Help Line at 304-293-4357.

WVU Medicine employees can report an injury or unsafe condition by:

• Employee injury: Submit an employee incident report in WorkDay. Call the Safety Management Office at 304-598-4055 for assistance.
• Unsafe condition: For roads, sidewalks, parking lots, etc. that need treatment, contact Security Dispatch at 304-598-4444.