Effective Winter maintenance Planning

SNOW

Having a good plan for dealing with snow is essential for keeping your site accessible during winter. If staff, customers or students can't get in, it can cost a fortune in lost revenue or fines.

Preparation is the key to good snow and ice management.

Here are the essential ingredients for your plan;

1. Decide which areas and pathways need to be kept clear.

2. Assign a member of staff to clearing each section. (Snow doesn't clear itself!)

3. Evaluate how much salt you will need to put down and at what temperature, and whether you are preparing for snow... As a rough and ready guide; Normally we recommend 10-15 grams per square metre if it is only ice you are trying to combat. If snow is likely to fall, we recommend upping that to 20-30 grams per square metre to ensure that the ground is still safe to walk and drive upon.

This will vary depending on the product used, and you should always check the recommendations from the provider. For some products, temperature will also be a consideration.

4. What will the staff use to spread the salt? This will be determined by how much salt is required and how much time you have to cover the area. Spreaders come in all shapes and sizes.

You can see our range of Spreaders here Pedestrian and Mounted Spreaders







5. What will the staff use to clear snow in their designated areas? Does it require a shovel, a plough or a snow blower? What size?

You can see our equipment for managing Snow here;

Snow Mangement Equipment

If you are putting a snow plough attachment onto a vehicle, be sure to check out the Government's guidance to make sure you are doing it correctly.

Temporary Snow Plough Guidance Note

6. Where will they pile up the snow? (No it doesn't just disappear) you need to mark out designated spots that won't block traffic.

7. It is important to mark out edges that can be damaged by ploughing, as these may be hidden by snow fall. Tall colourer markers can be a good idea if you are expecting significant snow fall, but even in light flurries, road markings will become obscured.



Having a good plan in place prior to the winter season will allow you to keep your site accessible whatever the weather.