From frigid temperatures to heavy snowfall, winter unleashes a barrage of hazards that can render sidewalks, driveways, and pathways dangerously slippery for homeowners and virtually impassable for businesses. Mitigating icy conditions before they result in painful falls or jeopardize operations takes diligent preparation and having the right maintenance equipment on hand.
Shoveling Out Homeowners
While ground temperatures remain above freezing, homeowners can battle light snow accumulation manually with the muscle power of snow shovels. Ergonomic models with curved handles reduce strain, with metal blades that will not crack under heavy loads of wet slush or partial ice chunks. Sleek shapes target small spaces like stairs and prevent awkward clean up. Those in cold regions facing lake-effect squalls should choose large capacity push shovels to efficiently clear deep drifts from driveways and walkways once powder settles. Sturdy plastic shovels reinforce snow removal arsenals for light or extreme snowfall.
Applying Home Chemical Solutions
Once the mercury dips for good, snow quickly transitions to stubborn ice buildup, especially on high traffic areas. Heavy duty ice melt pellets, which contain salts that lower the freezing point of water, help homeowners win the battle against thick ice bonding to pavement. Calcium and magnesium chloride formulas melt faster than rock salt, working even in sub-zero conditions. The pellets’ coarse texture provides grip on slick surfaces as the chemicals dissolve ice sheets into slush for easier removal.
Investing In Powered Assistance
After one too many strenuous sessions hand-shoveling heavy accumulations, many homeowners purchase gas-powered single or dual stage snow blowers appropriate for their snowfall levels and property size. Single stage blowers efficiently corral average snow depths up to 8 inches, while dual stage machines featuring separate augers and impellers can intake denser snow faster and discharge large volumes quickly up to 50 feet away. Their self-propelled operation, multiple speed settings and widths over 20 inches tame winter’s deepest dumps with much less effort than by hand.
A Legal Imperative For Businesses
Beyond just brand reputation, businesses bear a concrete legal duty to remediate snow and ice hazards from their premises. Under premises liability laws, companies owe a reasonable standard of care to protect invited visitors like customers, vendors and personnel against known dangers – including naturally accumulating winter hazards. If someone suffers bodily injury from slipping on an untreated icy patch on commercial property, the harmed individual can claim negligence and seek damages for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
With multi-million-dollar settlements awarded in some cases, neglecting snow removal and de-icing measures spawn immense financial liabilities for organizations. Enacting rigorous winter maintenance procedures, documenting efforts, and promptly barricading hazards guards against liability claims that chip away at profitability and tie up legal resources. The imperative to act against ice and snow extends beyond mere best practice into codified legal obligation. Avoiding negligence lawsuits gives businesses facing wintry threats an evidence-based mandate to invest appropriately in year-round prevention.
Must-Have Ice Removers For Businesses
Road salt mixed with sand has long served as an economical ice melter for commercial lots and enormous parking facilities, easily dispersed from manual push spreaders or by the ton from large capacity hoppers on plow truck beds. But common salt’s corrosive effects on infrastructure and slow melting speed spurred the innovation of advanced products to protect revenue through uninterrupted business even in icy conditions.
Engineered Salt Crystals
When using salt products for ice removal, purchase varieties specifically intended for winter gritting applications. Look for packages labeled “salt for gritters” or “ice control salt”. These formulas are optimized for melting snow and ice from walkways and roads, whereas common table salt or even basic road salt contains anti-caking agents that make them less effective. Salts made for gritters feature calcium chloride or magnesium chloride coatings to accelerate melting. The grains also undergo specialized production methods to maximize dissolution rate. When managing snow removal for commercial spaces, using premium salts for gritters boosts efficiency over basic salt varieties and provides superior ice penetration.
Liquid Deicer Sprayers
While salt crystals eventually reach their melting capacity against thick ice, liquid deicers offer another round of defense. High-efficiency liquid spray systems mount onto plow truck beds or dedicated service vehicles to coat icy patches thoroughly. Potassium acetate, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride solutions penetrate bonded snow and ice faster than solid salts. Pressurized application provides precision coverage across sidewalks, loading docks and handicap ramps.
Infrared Ice Detection And Alert Technology
Maintaining immaculate access for patrons across commercial properties spells success for enterprises across industry sectors. Cutting-edge infrared sensor networks installed at critical control points provide remote monitoring with instant alerts when and wherever ice accumulates. Web-based digital dashboards deliver real-time visibility into surface conditions for facilities teams, supporting rapid response deploying manual or chemical treatment before buildup becomes hazardous. Though technology capabilities come at a premium, the mass notifications and preventative triggering effectively eliminate risk.
Conclusion
Winter inevitably brings hazardous conditions to both homes and businesses annually. But preparation can prevent the worst conditions from jeopardizing safety or operations. Stock the season’s most reliable manual and chemical snow and ice removal tools to master winter maintenance challenges as they come. Consistent vigilance rewards those willing to invest in proactive defense against volatile winter weather with secured egress and peace of mind.
