Walk like a penguin: Safety tips for walking on slippery days

With mild winter temperatures, slush and ice can make for slippery conditions.

In light of this, a safety expert offered tips on avoiding falls when walking on questionable terrain.

Lewis Smith, the national projects manager with the Canada Safety Council, said it starts with how you walk.

“Spread your stance just a little bit wider … Keep your knees loose (and) let them bend a bit,” he explained. “The easy way that we’ve found to explain is to walk a bit like you’d imagine a penguin would.”

This provides a stronger base of support and makes it easier to avoid falls, even if it may look a little odd.

“Yeah, you’re waddling around and you might look a little awkward …,” Smith said. “It’s always better to look awkward than to fall on the ground and potentially injure yourself.”

If you do end up slipping, there’s still a way to protect yourself.

“The best thing you can do is turn your head away so you’re not hitting headfirst or facefirst, and throw your arm out, not your hand,” Smith said.