Tips for A Warm & Injury-Free Winter

During an Ontario winter, ice and snow come with the territory–injuries don’t need to. In today’s post, we will discuss some of the most common winter injuries and how you can take steps to avoid injury to yourself and others.

Sport & Recreation-Related: Whether you are skiing, snowboarding, playing hockey or skating, always remember to wear a helmet designed for that activity as proper gear is critical to protect you from from injury. If you are outdoors, take care to wear sufficient warm clothing and outerwear as frostbite will cause permanent damage and can be very dangerous. Remember that you can get a sunburn even on a cold day.

Slips & Falls: Keep your walkways and steps sanded and salted as much as possible to prevent your family, visitors and delivery people from slipping on ice or tripping on uneven surfaces. When you are out and about, always wear proper footwear with good treads and never risk a questionable-looking path or set of steps. Use the handrail whenever possible.

Vehicle Collisions: As a driver, one of the most important things you can do to prevent collisions is slow down. Reducing your speed allows you to keep better control of your vehicle and gives you more reaction time to stop. Always make sure your windows are properly scraped for maximum visibility and use your headlights so that you are seen. Keep an emergency kit in your trunk, your windshield fluid topped up and don’t forget your winter tires!

Water Safety: If ice fishing, snowmobiling and pond skating are among your favourite activities, don’t risk them until the conditions are right. See Parachute Canada’s tips for knowing when ice is safe.

Supervised Play for Kids: Young children don’t have the cognitive ability to judge risk and foresee consequences in the same way that adults do, and they may not have the ability to realize when they are too cold. That’s why adult supervision is critical for activities like sledding, fort-building and other outdoor play.

The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is especially true in winter, when a little planning and forethought will ensure your holidays are safe, warm and injury free.