Winter Workplace Safety: A Practical Checklist for Small Businesses

A wet shop entrance, a cold reception desk and an icy delivery path can all become problems before anyone thinks to update the risk assessment. As businesses prepare for winter, a short walk around the premises is a useful place to start.

This checklist helps owners and managers decide what to inspect, who should act and what to record. It covers everyday workplace precautions for employers in England, Scotland and Wales, using HSE guidance checked on 31 October 2026.

Start with three questions: Can people get in safely? Can they work comfortably? Does someone know what to do when conditions change?

1. Check indoor working temperatures

The legal requirement is to provide a reasonable indoor working temperature. HSE's Approved Code of Practice says indoor temperatures should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C where much of the work involves rigorous physical effort. These are guidance benchmarks, rather than universal statutory cut-offs that automatically decide whether every workplace is safe. HSE: temperature and the law.

For a practical first check, look at the places where people actually work: a till beside the entrance, a desk near a draughty window or a back room used for paperwork. Record where and when someone reports discomfort, then investigate the cause.

A reading alone does not establish comfort. Air movement, clothing and the effort involved in the job also matter. Ask staff about the conditions they experience, rather than relying only on the wall thermostat. HSE: thermal comfort.

2. Deal with wet entrances and walkways

Rainwater on smooth floors, poor lighting and condensation can increase slip risks. HSE recommends considering the environment as part of your assessment. HSE: environmental slip risks.

Give the opening team a simple route to inspect: the front door, customer entrance, staff entrance and delivery access. Check whether water is being carried further into the building and whether floor coverings remain flat and effective. Arrange prompt cleaning and a safe route around any area being dealt with.

For a café, that might mean checking the entrance again after the lunchtime rush. For a clinic or office, it might mean agreeing who responds when a visitor reports a wet floor. Choose a frequency that fits the conditions and footfall, and make responsibility clear.

3. Plan for ice before people arrive

Identify the paths people actually use, including car parks, steps and shortcuts. Watch the forecast and decide who will inspect and treat vulnerable areas before the first shift.

HSE advises taking action when freezing conditions are forecast, including gritting suitable areas or keeping people away from unsafe routes. Salt takes time to work and heavy rain can wash it away, so treatment needs checking rather than assuming one application solves the problem. HSE: icy conditions and gritting.

A practical plan should answer:

• Who checks the route, and who covers their absence?
• Where are the materials and equipment kept?
• Which alternative route can people use?
• How will staff and visitors learn about a closure?

In shared premises, agree the arrangements with the landlord or managing agent. Record the contact and escalation route so staff do not have to work out whom to call during a cold morning.

4. Adapt outdoor work to the conditions

Construction work, maintenance and deliveries can expose people to cold weather for longer than a quick walk from the car park. Review the task, the conditions and the time spent outside.

HSE's outdoor-working guidance includes suitable protective equipment, facilities to warm up, hot drinks and more frequent rest breaks. It also advises considering whether work can be delayed safely. HSE: outdoor working in cold conditions.

Brief the team on the arrangements before the job starts. Make sure everyone knows whom to tell if the agreed precautions are not working. A delivery worker visiting another site should know how to raise an access problem rather than feeling obliged to continue over an unsafe surface.

5. Give each action an owner

Use the table below as a starting point for your own action list. It is an editorial checklist to adapt to your premises, not a prescribed legal form or a complete risk assessment.

Check	Practical action	Record
Indoor comfort	Investigate cold workstations and agree suitable controls	Location, issue, action owner
Wet entrances	Check drainage, floor coverings and cleaning arrangements	Area, response, recheck
Outdoor paths	Plan inspections, treatment and alternative access	Responsible person, cover, timing
Outdoor tasks	Review clothing, breaks and warming facilities	Task, agreed precautions
Shared areas	Confirm who handles maintenance and urgent reports	Contact and escalation route
Staff briefing	Explain changes and how to report problems	Date, team, actions outstanding

Keep the list short enough to use. An unfinished action needs a named person and a realistic completion date; an urgent hazard needs prompt action rather than a place on next month's agenda.

6. Review what happens in practice

HSE advises checking that controls work and reviewing them when circumstances change, workers raise concerns or an accident or near miss highlights a problem. Employers with five or more employees must record the significant findings of their risk assessment. Smaller employers still need to assess and control risks, even where this general written-record requirement does not apply. HSE: managing and recording risks.

After the first spell of bad weather, ask a few specific questions. Did the opening team find the equipment? Did the alternative entrance work? Was anyone unsure who should respond? Use those answers to improve the arrangements.

Common questions

Is 16°C a fixed legal minimum for every workplace?

No. The legal requirement is a reasonable indoor temperature; the usual 16°C and 13°C benchmarks come from the Approved Code of Practice. The work and conditions still need assessment. HSE guidance.

Do we need a completely separate winter risk assessment?

There is no need to treat this article as a requirement for a particular document title. Review your existing assessment and controls to reflect the risks present, and record changes where required. HSE focuses on identifying and controlling the actual risks. HSE risk-assessment steps.

Does this guide cover Northern Ireland?

The legal references above concern Great Britain. For a Northern Ireland workplace, use the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the rules that apply there.

A useful next step is to choose an owner for your winter review and start with one walk around the premises. ComplianceAlert's free dashboard can help you keep source-linked regulatory alerts and a checklist in view. Check current plans for paid email alerts and other features.

This is general information, not a site-specific safety assessment. Use competent health and safety advice where your risks require it.