Stay Safe On Rainy Season

The rainy season is upon us once again. While we appreciate the rain and what it can do for the valley, precautions should be taken to ensure safety for you and your co-workers.

Below, you will find safety tips on Staying Safe during the Rainy Season:

Slips & Falls

• Wear appropriate footwear with solid support and slip resistant soles.

• Don’t be in a hurry; avoid slipping on wet sidewalks or walkways by taking slow, short steps.

• Avoid walking through puddles no matter how shallow they appear.

• Avoid using wet stairs; use the elevator during the rainy season.

• If you do use the stairs, never walk the stairs with your hands in your pockets, and always use the handrails.

• Be alert to water that may be tracked in around doorways; be a leader in safety by cleaning up wet hazards.

• Make sure that there are entry matt’s in the doorways so workers can dry their feet before entering.

While Driving

• Give yourself more time for heavy traffic due to rain.

• Obey the speed limit and drive slower in the rain; the roads are very slick when wet!

• Maintain an extra distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

• Make sure that the windshield wipers are in proper working order; change the wiper blades before the rainy season arrives.

• Make sure that the defroster is in proper working order; keep the dash clear so as to not block the defroster.

• Turn on your headlights while driving during rainy weather.

• Do not drive around road barricades; they are there for your safety, the road or bridge may be washed out.

• Avoid driving into flooded areas; if your vehicle stalls in rapidly rising floodwaters, abandon it immediately and climb to higher ground.

Handy things to be kept in the car :

• Hammer: to break the glass in case of an auto-lock system failure.
• Thick nylon rope, about 20 meters long, with a hook
• Fully charged powerful torch.
• A working whistle.
• Plastic sheets and spare umbrella.
• Keep extra tyre (stepni) ready all the times.
• Adequate dry, non -perishable food items.
• Adequate quantity of water.
• A well equipped emergency first aid kid.

ABSOLUTE DONT'S IN RAINY SEASON DRIVING

• Don’t drive in heavy rain - When visibility is so limited that the edges of the road or other vehicles cannot be seen at a safe distance, it is time to pull over and wait for the rain to ease up. It is best to stop at rest areas or other protected areas. If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, and wait until the rain slows. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers.

 

• Do not apply brakes suddenly while driving in the rain, instead control the speed with the accelerator, pump the brake peddle and apply the brake slowly, as sudden braking may result in skidding or overturning of the vehicle.

 

• Do not suddenly swing the vehicle while driving in the rain which can result in the vehicle skidding or rolling over.

 

• Avoid driving in the rain during darkness. A simple but important thumb rule is “if you can’t see the road, there is no road”. At night, rainy roads become especially treacherous. The glare of oncoming lights is amplified by the rain on your windscreen which causes temporary loss of visibility, which can result in an accident. This also increases driver fatigue. Livestock, pedestrians, bicycles & other two wheelers are extremely hard to spot and even harder to avoid.

 

• Never drive through moving water until and unless you can see the ground clearly. if you can't see the ground through it; your vehicle could be swept off the road.

 

• Avoid off-road driving.it's hard to judge the actual depth of puddles and you can easily become stuck.

 

• During thunderstorm avoid contact with metal or conducting surfaces outside and inside the vehicle. Lightning that strikes nearby can travel through wet ground to your car.

When we share the responsibility for road safety , everyone wins!!