Special Feature
Preparing for winter and adverse weather conditions
Nikki Singh-Barmi, managing director of GRITIT, the UK's leading winter gritting and risk management business, offers his advice on preparing for adverse weather conditions and keeping buildings open and operational during the winter months.
weather conditions during winter creates an unexpected spike in activity which can leave sites exposed to the risks associated with freezing conditions. If you fail to put measures in place that prove you used your best endeavours to maintain your premises in a risk-free state to enable safe access for staff, customers, suppliers and other visitors, not only could you be at risk from personal injury claims, your insurance may be also be compromised. Employers have a legal responsibility under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) to, in summary, ensure that the workplace is safe for staff. Advice from the Health and Safety Executive states that 'employers should identify which outdoor areas are most likely to be affected by adverse weather conditions like ice' – these could include car parks and walkways and ensure that these areas are made safe at all times. Facilities managers should also take into consideration the issues and costs associated with staff being unable to get into their place of work. Having a comprehensive winter risk management strategy in place, which is implemented at the right time, is essential in order to protect your organisation against unnecessary operational down-time, loss of business, damage to reputation as well as the cost (and time) of any claims made against the organisation. However, the unpredictable nature of when to implement this strategy to ensure sites are gritted, is a challenge for most facilities managers. Working with a contractor to provide ice and snow clearance on your behalf should prevent the need to invest in staff, equipment or systems – whilst
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acilities management is a varied and time-pressured job throughout the calendar year, but the impact of adverse
also providing reassurance of the highest levels of support. However, this needs to be planned in advance rather than ordering their services at the last minute. When the UK is hit by bad weather it now tends to be more extreme. Whether the bad conditions prevail for a day or linger throughout winter, when they do arrive, they need the most robust, reliable and consistent solution – anything less will fail and result in, at best, loss of business and, at worst, a real danger of injury and/or damage to property. Here is my advice on how to mitigate against the risks of extreme weather patterns: • Take the right action in order to manage risks and liability – if you do nothing to prevent or remove dangerous ice and snow, and someone slips and injures themselves then you can be sued. If someone’s car skids on your icy car park, their insurance company may pursue you for a claim. Avoid the negative publicity and increased insurance premiums by making sure you keep things safe to start with. That is why taking action is vital.
• Arrangements should be made to minimise the risks from snow and ice. This may involve gritting, snow clearing and closure of some routes. Working with a contractor to provide ice and snow clearance should prevent the need to invest in staff, equipment or systems and their services can support possible insurance claims. What
I cannot stress enough is that this service needs to be planned in advance. The contractor needs to work as your partner.
• Instead of being caught unawares, monitor temperatures and the forecast. Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet and the floor temperatures are at, or below freezing. The best time is before the frost settles. Salt doesn’t work instantly; it needs sufficient time to dissolve into the moisture on the ground.
• In order to reduce the number of injury claims, proper planning, safety awareness and accountability is needed. It is vital to create a safe environment for workers and visitors during snow and ice weather conditions.
Don’t wait for winter to arrive, act now to protect your organisation against snow and ice and ensure your workload is not increased by the unexpected need to manage the associated risks.
www.gritit.com
Building & Facilities Management – December 2013
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