As winter weather brings cold temperatures, snow and ice, it’s important to use extra caution when walking around campus.
The UT Department of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety encourages the University community to review winter walking safety tips for traversing campus in wet or icy conditions.To avoid slips and falls, walk slowly, take small steps to increase balance, and use handrails where available.
It’s also important to wear proper footgear — boots and shoes with aggressive tread.
Stick to cleared or salted areas in snowy or icy conditions. When you see an uncleared walkway, report it to the grounds crew on the appropriate campus: Call 419.383.5353 on Health Science Campus or 419.530.1000 on Main Campus. You also can Text-a-Fix to report areas that need to be cleared; users should input smart code 69050 and key the following in the text box: UTFIX, followed by one space then the message.
There are about 300,000 winter walking-related injuries per year, and such slips and falls account for the largest number of emergency room visits; winter falls can cause 1,500 deaths per year.
The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness provides additional information on how to prepare for the winter season on its website weathersafety.ohio.gov.