of a shopper slipping in the icy car park goes viral under the hashtag #ColdBaySlip. Tenant satisfaction scores fell by nearly a third and two retailers opt not to renew their leases, citing poor site management. December footfall drops twelve per cent. By the time the snow has melted the short-term saving snowballs into a long-term liability. The £18,000 ‘saving’ is dwarfed by £45,000 in claims, £180,000 in lease penalties and compensation, thousands more in insurance premium hikes and £1.4m in lost sales.


The Cold Bay Park story may be fictionalised, but the risks it illustrates are real. Across the UK, slips, trips and falls are among the most common winter accidents, costing employers hundreds of millions each year. Hidden impacts like reputational damage, operational disruption, legal exposure and lost trust, can be equally costly. For facilities managers, perception is often as important as performance. A safe, well-maintained site inspires confidence that an icy car park can erase – especially when a lurid video can go viral. In an age where corporate and brand reputation matters, the stakes are especially high.


Gritting is not simply about safety; it is about continuity. Frozen access roads delay deliveries, strand vehicles and force businesses to close at the very time of year when demand peaks. In sectors like healthcare, logistics and education, the cost of those delays can be a catastrophic gamble.


There is also the issue of accountability. Insurers and courts now expect clear, auditable trails showing that every reasonable precaution was taken. Without adequate records, liability often falls on the decision makers in facilities management. Moreover, higher standards of what count as adequate and reasonable steps has left those playing a more amateur game increasingly exposed. The gritting industry has become highly professionalised, with the best providers like OUTCO able to deliver gritting schedules, GPS-powered breadcrumb trails of where and when salt has been laid, and records of the forecast data used to back decisions. When things go wrong, being seen to fall short of this higher bar can appear reckless.


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Given all these risks, why does winter maintenance still fall victim to budget cuts? Part of the answer is a tendency to underestimate low-frequency, high-impact events. To avoid such traps requires a mindset shift to treat winter maintenance as an investment rather than a cost. This starts with a clear-eyed risk audit, reviewing past incidents and quantifying exposure. Compare the annual cost of proactive gritting with the potential losses from even one serious incident. Build a business case that positions winter services as insurance against multi- million-pound risk. And choose a provider who can deliver guaranteed response times, accurate forecasting and full audit trails.


At OUTCO, we see the benefits of this approach every winter. By combining live meteorological data with pre-agreed service schedules, our teams can treat surfaces before ice has a chance to form. Our digital reporting systems give clients the evidence they need to demonstrate compliance, protect against claims and reassure stakeholders. Most importantly, our proactive model removes luck from the equation. Facilities managers don’t need to gamble on the weather; they can be confident they are prepared.


The lesson from Cold Bay Retail Park is clear. The most expensive decision an FM can make is to cut corners on winter maintenance. What looks like a canny saving can easily snowball into huge liability. With winter fast approaching and budgets under pressure, facilities managers face a choice: make a small investment in proactive safety or keep rolling the dice.


Call: 0800 0432 911 Email: enquiries@outco.co.uk www.outco.co.uk


TOMORROW’S FM | 21


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