FMJ.CO.UK WINTER PREPARATION FOCUS
SEPTEMBER 2021 43
as a whole. In any given season, the work
you’ve done in the preceding period is o en
the key to success.
A key activity in the approach to winter
is leaf clearing, which is generally required
between September and December. Beyond
the aesthetic considerations, wet leaves on
pavements can present a slipping hazard
that can present just as much legal risk to
site owners as the snows and ice of winter.
Leaf collection is also an important way to
prevent more costly works further down
the line. For example, leaves and debris
that build up can destroy lawns which will
require grounds teams to undertake more
costly work later to bring these areas back
up to standard. Similarly, decaying leaves
on lawns or hard standings can also form a
substrate that allows weeds to germinate.
This then requires more weed control as
well as unnecessary and costly chemical
treatments during the growing season.
Autumn provides a great time to schedule
landscaping works such as planting and
arboriculture activity. August through to
November is also an important period to
focus on landscaping activities like hedge
trimming. This is not just to keep things
tidy but also to ensure safe access around
paths and to preserve sight lines for
vehicle tra• ic in car parks and for security
cameras. Similarly, another important area
to consider is the safety of trees onsite and
it’s important to ensure that any wooded
areas near buildings or paths have been
recently inspected for dead wood that may
need removing to ensure safety during
winter storms. As with any area of health
and safety, acting proactively regarding
tree safety and e• ectively documenting this
action is the key to mitigating legal hazards
should the worse happen.
GETTING READY FOR THE RAINS
One of the defining features of the British
climate is rainfall, which is why it’s vital
to ensure that drainage systems are
working as they should ahead of winter.
Again, this is an area where planned
maintenance is important to
ensure drains can handle the
expected conditions. The
Met O• ice has warned that
the UK will see an increase in the number
of “high impact heavy rainfall” days, with
intense and prolonged rainfall seeing a
rise in flooding. While drainage
systems are not designed for
flash flooding, proactive
measures such as CCTV
drainage surveys and
high-pressure water
jetting will ensure
that they can
operate at their
optimal level.
The needs of
sites will vary,
but inspections
and cleaning
of drains should
be undertaken at
least once a year.
7he Met OƝ ce has warned that the
UK will see an increase in the number
of “high impact heavy rainfall” days, with
intense and prolonged rainfall seeing a
rise in Ɯ ooding, proactive measures such
as CCTV drainage surveys and highpressure
A recommendation is
that this is done around
water jetting will ensure
that they can operate at their
September time to remove leaves
optimal level.”
and debris that have been washed into
drains and to ensure the drainage system
can run at full capacity over winter. Ideally,
that process should be repeated in March
to cope with build up over winter. As well
as camera surveys of drains, inspections
should also look for obvious issues on site
like ponding in car parks, - an obvious sign
that water can’t get away, depressions
that could indicate a collapsed drain,