CINCINNATI — The weather might not be looking so harsh right now, but who could forget the snow and ice the region experiences just a few weeks ago.

While many felt the difficulties in trying to get around, one group along with road crews, made it their mission to not only push through the storm, but to do it quickly.

We hit the streets with an Amazon delivery driver and went behind the scenes at the Cincinnati facility to see how safety training takes a few crucial “steps."

What You Need To Know

  • Amazon employees say it was difficult getting around streets and delivering packages during the snowstorm in January

  • For new drivers, Amazon has implemented a very specific course to promote safety

  • The facility in Cincinnati was the first to have a "slips, trips, and falls" trainer installed in-house

“During the first two days of that snowstorm, it was rough. Really rough. Walking through all the snow, there was like 2 to 3 feet, you know. I had to wear my big long water boots. I looked silly, but it’s OK. I was staying dry,” said Amazon delivery driver Ashley Goodman.

Goodman has been a driver for four years and has driven all around Cincinnati in all kinds of weather.

“Most of the suburban houses or houses where single families live, those are rough because all the sidewalks are ice, so you can’t really get a fast pace. You have to take your time and go really slow,” Goodman said.

 For new drivers, learning how to stay safe happens during very specific training at the facility.

“If you think that driveway is too steep and too icy, don’t go up it. The customer will get their package when they need to. Your life is not replaceable,” said site leader Kurt Wainscott.

 Wainscott said safety is the top priority and during the snowstorm, regionally the decision was made to close for a couple of days.

“The weather has been really unprecedented this year. We’ve never seen this much snow at least since 1997 and it’s been a challenge for our drivers. Big thing that Amazon has been requesting from the public is lights on, driveways clear, but we never always have that chance. Some customers take care of it and some don’t,” he said.

 The goal is to always be prepared.

“We’re going to put these blue booties over your shoes, then we have these covers for over your shoes that have these little plastic pieces at the bottom,” said driver trainer Krista Leonard as she prepared the 'slips, trips, and falls' training pad.

“It really does simulate slipping. You really feel that soap and water under your feet,” Leonard said.

 During training, drivers start by taking small steps on the soapy surface while holding a box and walking over obstacles.

The facility in Cincinnati is the first in the entire network of Amazon facilities to have this trainer installed in-house.

For a year it’s been helping new drivers take the first step.

When drivers pack up they remember the training and work to keep up with the two-day delivery goal.

For Goodman, she’s like homeowners to know how they can help.

“Dogs are our biggest problem, then if you could just keep one clear path or have one clear note of where we should leave your stuff for safe location or alternatives if it is snowing. If they could have just like a box at the end or some alternative, we could deliver every day,” Goodman said with a smile.