Snow Shoveling Safety Tips for Ontario Winters

Snow Shoveling Can Be More Dangerous Than You Think 

If you're a homeowner in Ontario, shoveling snow is something you are bound to do at least once a year. It's essential that you shovel the snow on your stairs, walkways, driveways and sidewalks because leaving snow to accumulate can lead to the slightest inconvenience for others and, at most, potential injuries. However, throwing fresh snow around may look enjoyable to some; it can lead to a severe injury or worse if you don't prepare and complete the task safely. Our expert Morison Insurance brokers have compiled their top 10 snow shoveling safety tips to ensure you stay safe and warm this winter. 

Stretch and Warm Up 

As with any physical activity, making sure your body is prepared is critical to avoiding common injuries. That's why this is our first snow shoveling safety tip. Completing a full body stretch before you get ready will not only help with your physical health but also make sure your body is prepared to lift and move what could be heavy snow. A simple Google or YouTube search for "quick full body stretch" should give you the resources to stretch correctly and be ready to shovel. 

Wear Warm Clothing 

While this snow shoveling safety tip may be obvious to some, many feel that they can handle the cold better than others. While that may be true for throwing out the trash or grabbing the mail, the extra work your body goes through while shoveling snow will make your body expel more energy and heat. In the short term, this could be okay. But after a while, frostbite and hypothermia will hit your body faster than expected, which is terrible. 

That's why we recommend proper jackets, pants, boots, gloves, and hats, which should be mandatory when shoveling snow. Depending on how bad the snow is falling, consider underlayers and a scarf or face covering. 

Choose The Right Snow Shovel for The Job 

If you've ever been to a store around the fall season, you will see an aisle filled with dozens of different types of snow shovels. These can include traditional-looking ones with curved handles, ones with two handles, larger shovels, smaller shovels, and so much more. So, which one should you buy? Our snow shoveling safety tip is to pick the one that best suits your property. Some properties allow you to push several inches of snow without throwing it. Others may limit you to space, and you must toss and pile large amounts of snow on your lawn. Whichever style fits best for your property and allows you to move the snow quickly is your best choice. 

If you are new to the neighbourhood and are still determining what type of shovel they recommend, ask your neighbour. If you don’t feel uncomfortable asking your neighbour, take a photo of your property and bring it to a store that sells snow shovels. They should be able to assist you with picking out the best option. 

Bonus tip: A bonus snow shoveling safety tip is if you have the budget, the best option for snow shoveling is a snow blower. These will allow you to push the machine over the snow, and it will throw it for you. This tool can be rather expensive depending on your requirements, so do your research to see if it's worth the investment for your property. Also, some driveways have special finishes that could become damaged if a snowblower is used, so make sure to investigate what surfaces a snowblower can be used on. 

Drink Plenty of Fluids 

Our next snow shoveling safety tip has to do with something that everyone should do, especially when doing physical activity, and that is to drink plenty of fluids. During any physical activity, your body will use up fluids to keep your body temperature regulated. You may wonder why you still sweat when shoveling snow when it's cold outside. That's your body regulating its internal temperature because if you're wearing a coat, you won't be able to let that heat out into the cold air. Because of this, you will want to make sure you are drinking plenty of water and even consider an electrolyte-infused drink as well, like a Gatorade or Powerade. This will make sure you don't get dehydrated, which could lead to dizziness and a possible risk of injury. 

Clear Snow Before It Accumulates 

Picture this: you're standing in your window with a warm cup of cocoa, watching the snow fall on winter's eve. That's a pretty nice thought. It is until you realize that all the snow falling will accumulate and be much heavier to move later. That's why our next snow shoveling safety tip is to clear the snow before it accumulates. We understand that the thought of waiting until the snow is done would be nice, but moving one foot of snow three times is safer than moving three feet of deep snow all at once. This is because it gives your body time to rest in between and not overexert yourself. If you aren't used to moving heavy items regularly, the weight and exertion of lifting the snow could cause you to get seriously injured. Take your time and shovel the snow bit by bit before it accumulates. 

Use Your Legs to Lift – Not Your Back 

This snow shoveling safety tip applies to moving snow as well as lifting heavy items in general. When you are lifting something heavy, like a shovel full of snow, it's best to lift with your legs and not bend your back. This is because your legs have more muscles to handle the weight of the snow than your back does. 

The proper technique is to lift with your legs, scoop up a comfortable amount of snow in your shovel, walk as close to it as possible, bend your knees, keep your upper body straight, and when ready, straighten your legs to lift the shovel and snow. If you instead bend over with your legs straight and try to lift while bent over, you can become seriously injured. If you are unsure if you are lifting properly, simply Google or YouTube "proper lifting technique," and you will find tutorials you can adopt for snow shoveling and more. 

Avoid Unnecessary Lifting by Pushing Instead 

As we mentioned in the last snow shoveling safety tip, we explained how to lift snow properly. However, it's best to avoid lifting snow if possible. One of the best approaches is to push the snow into the appropriate area instead of lifting. This will help you avoid the strain and possible injury from lifting the snow while still accomplishing the goal of clearing the snow. 

Pushing the snow, however, does depend on many factors: 

• You must ensure you have the right shovel to accomplish this. Some shovels work better for pushing than others, so make sure you aren't making it harder for yourself. 
• Check your property to ensure you have the right layout to do this. If you have lots of stone and walkways but not a lot of grass, this could cause an issue as you won't be able to push much of the snow on the grass before you're out of the room. 
• Make sure you aren't pushing too much at one time, especially if it is wet snow, which can be heavier than fresh, powdery snow. 

When you push, if the snow is falling back over the shovel as you push, you probably have too much snow, and this technique will add more work to your snow shovelling. 

Take Frequent Breaks 

Let's be honest; most don't want to shovel snow if they don't have to. Sometimes, we push ourselves outside to get it done as fast as possible. While this is a great idea, there are better ways to shovel snow safely in the cold weather. Suppose you are not someone who does a lot of physical activity, and you suddenly push your body to finish snow shoveling as quickly as possible. Your body may not be able to handle that new and hard stress it's being put under, and you may incur an injury or maybe even worse. 

That's why this snow shoveling safety tip is so important. Whether it's simply standing still for a few minutes to catch your breath while watching the snow fall, or going inside to get warm for several minutes, taking breaks during your snow shoveling is important. Frequent breaks may add to your total time in the cold temperatures, but it could save you pain later. 

Watch For Ice Buildup 

With snow comes ice, and with ice comes the possibility of slipping and falling. One of the essential snow shoveling safety tips is to watch out for ice buildup underneath the snow you're going to shovel. With cold weather, it's straightforward for old snow to melt and freeze on the ground because of a slick surface. If you aren't watching where you step, it doesn't take much to hit a slippery area and fall. 

The best way to avoid this is if you see any ice, throw down some salt or melting material to keep patches of ice at bay. 

Bonus tip: Make sure you wear proper shoes or boots while shoveling snow. It may be easy to slip on a pair of slippers or "Crock-style shoes to shovel the snow. However, these shoes often lack the traction that best suits a slippery area. Make sure you are always wearing either winter boots or warm shoes that have slip-resistant soles to avoid the potential risk of an injury. 

Listen To Your Body 

This snow shoveling safety tip can be used in every aspect of your life – listen to your body. Our body is very good at letting us know when it's had too much of a strenuous activity. Whether that's feeling tired, feeling weak, or a sharp pain, it's best to listen to your body at these moments because it may be the first sign that something is wrong and pushing yourself through it may make the condition worse. 

If you do feel unwell with symptoms such as chest pain and elevated heart rate, please stop shoveling snow and take a break. After you have rested and rehydrated with a drink of water, attempt to continue shoveling, but take it slow and don't overexert yourself. If you're still feeling unwell or in pain, stop shoveling and attempt it later or the next day. While this may mean there's more snow to shovel, it means that you'll be able to complete the task and not hurt your body more. 

Bonus tip: Another bonus snow shoveling safety tip is if you are of a certain age or have a risk of injury that prevents you from shoveling snow without hurting yourself, please reach out to a neighbour or family member for assistance. Making sure your snow is shoveled is not worth being hurt or becoming ill over. 

Stay Safe 

With these snow shoveling safety tips in mind, the best overall advice we can give you is to stay safe. Sadly, many Ontario citizens sustain injuries shoveling snow due to over-exertion every year. While it is a law in most Ontario cities to keep your sidewalks clear of snow if you own a home, it doesn't mean it should come at the expense of your health. If you take your time, shovel correctly and listen to your body when it tells you it's had enough, you can get through any storm Mother Nature throws.