COVER STORY THE RISKS YOU CAN’T IGNORE OUTCO looks at why post-winter grounds maintenance is a health and safety priority.
At 8:42am on a damp Monday morning in early March, a member of staff steps out of their car and onto what appears to be a wet but otherwise unremarkable access path. Overnight rain has left the surface slick. Fallen leaves from late winter have collected along the edge of the walkway, partially concealing the painted pedestrian route. As they turn towards the entrance, their foot slips on compacted organic debris. The fall results in a fractured wrist and a formal incident investigation.
There had been no storm. No ice warning. No dramatic weather event. Just the cumulative effect of a winter’s neglect.
“Climate volatility further reinforces the need for a strategic shift."
Across the UK, slips, trips and falls remain one of the most common causes of workplace injury. According to the Health and Safety Executive, they account for roughly 30% of non-fatal workplace injuries each year. In many cases, particularly in outdoor environments, the contributing factors are predictable: poor drainage, concealed hazards, accumulated debris or untreated surfaces. Rarely are these incidents the result of unforeseeable conditions. More often, they arise from risks that built gradually over the winter months and were not fully addressed once the season changed.
The misconception that grounds maintenance slows down when plant growth reduces is still widespread. Because lawns stop growing and flowerbeds lie dormant, winter can appear operationally quieter. Yet from a health and safety perspective, it is arguably the most important period of the year. Winter is when infrastructure is stress-tested. It is when drainage systems operate under sustained pressure, when freeze–thaw cycles weaken surfaces incrementally, and when organic debris accumulates across pedestrian and vehicle routes. The absence of visible growth does not mean the absence of risk. It simply means the risks are less obvious – until Spring exposes them.
Drainage provides one of the clearest examples. Recent years have seen increasingly intense and prolonged rainfall events across the UK. The Met Office has reported a noticeable increase in days classified as extreme rainfall compared to historic averages. For facilities managers, this translates into infrastructure operating closer to its design limits more frequently.
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Gullies partially obstructed by autumn leaf fall may cope under normal rainfall, but during prolonged saturation they begin to fail. Water pools on surfaces, seeps into sub-bases and weakens hard landscaping.
The consequences often become visible only once winter recedes and by early spring potholes may begin to appear, paving slabs can shift subtly out of level and access roads might start to show signs of deterioration. These defects create trip hazards for pedestrians and potential damage risks for vehicles. What appears to be a ‘spring repair issue’ is often the cumulative effect of winter stress.
Surface deterioration rarely announces itself dramatically. More commonly, it develops incrementally. A weakened sub-base flexes under repeated vehicle movement. Edges crumble. Line markings fade beneath abrasion and standing water. Over time, pedestrian and vehicle segregation becomes less distinct. Disabled bays lose clarity. Crossing points become harder to identify. Each individual change may seem minor. Collectively, they represent increased exposure.
Leaf and moss accumulation present a similar pattern of gradual risk escalation. Leaf clearance is often perceived as an autumn priority, yet debris rarely respects seasonal boundaries. Mild winters delay leaf fall, while shaded areas allow moss to spread steadily across pathways and access ramps. Repeated footfall compresses decomposing organic matter into slick layers that reduce friction underfoot. Hazard markings and pedestrian delineations can become partially obscured, diminishing visual cues that support safe navigation. When incidents occur in early spring, they are frequently attributed to ‘wet conditions’, but the underlying issue is often a lack of timely reactive intervention.
It is worth noting that the average cost of a workplace slip claim can run into several thousands of pounds once legal fees, compensation and internal management time are considered. Beyond financial exposure, reputational damage and increased insurance premiums create longer-term consequences. Against this backdrop, the decision to scale back winter leaf clearance or moss treatment in pursuit of short-term savings becomes harder to justify.
Spring should therefore be seen not simply as a return to routine maintenance, but as an opportunity to move from recovery to robustness. Reactive works are central to this transition. Targeted pothole repairs prevent surface failure from spreading. Patch resurfacing restores structural integrity in high-traffic areas. Drainage clearance addresses blockages revealed under winter pressure. Flood-related waste and debris removal ensure that pedestrian routes are genuinely safe rather
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