FOCUS WINTER PREPARATION
or to identify and clear vegetation in
drainage gullies that would impact their
e• ectiveness.
Obviously, prevention is cheaper than
the cure and this is certainly the case with
drainage, where expensive excavation
and drain repairs can be prevented with
e• ective planned maintenance. Hence,
regular planned drain cleansing and site
surveys can ensure any potential issues
can be identified and dealt with before
becoming an expensive problem. For
example, techniques and methods such as
no dig and pipe relining repairs, can ensure
that drainage issues can be rectified with
minimal disruption and without the need
for expensive excavations. In other words,
scheduling inspections to help with winter
readiness can also help manage costs over
the long term. It’s also worth keeping in
mind that organisations have a duty of
care to maintain drainage and failures to
do so - for example in the case of spills on
site - could result in fines from the water
authority.
PLAN PROPERLY FOR SNOW
AND ICE CLEARANCE
Clearly, many of winter’s greatest risks
come in the form of snow and ice. Over
one of the harshest winters of recent
years, 2017/18, Hospital Episode Statistics
for England recorded over 7,200 people
requiring hospital treatment a er slipping
on snow or ice. These are figures that
organisations can’t a• ord to ignore:
Litigation follows hot on the heels of cold
weather accidents and ‘slipping on ice’
accidents have the potential for the highest
value claims and compensation.
Planning for winter should be well under
way months in advance. Yet worryingly,
many organisations approach winter
in a poor state of readiness: Every year,
44 SEPTEMBER 2021
our winter maintenance team receives
multiple desperate calls from businesses
finding their arrangements for snow
and ice clearing falling short – whether
its emergency cover needed when a
contractor fails to show, or even requests
for quotes arriving as the snow starts
falling. This ad hoc approach that treats
cold conditions as an a erthought can even
be seen in otherwise highly professional
FM operations. A striking example we
encountered was a state-of-the-art
fulfilment centre brought to a halt due
to compacted snow that had turned the
loading areas into ice rinks. In that case,
leaving the task of clearing ice to poorly
trained sta• caused a just-in-time supply
chain to grind to a halt.
Taking a proactive and fully managed
approach to winter maintenance is key to
business continuity, preventing accidents
and mitigating potential liability claims.
Whether outsourcing to expert contractors
or carrying out work in house, your adverse
weather policy should clearly communicate
how your organisation will manage/take
action in extreme weather situations. Key
aspects of any e• ective plan include:
Use of a recognised health and safety
management system (e.g OHSAS18001)
to ensure the plan is fit for purpose.
Clearly defined and communicated
responsibilities for teams on the
ground and within management.
A process for documenting proactive
actions, incidents and investigations
undertaken with records kept for three
years minimum.
Ensuring the plan is based on
detailed surveys to identify hazard
areas and that action is undertaken
according to real time accurate
weather data and agreed action
triggers for service.
Adequate resourcing with either
professional contractors or a
dedicated trained in-house team,
sufficient and well-maintained
equipment.
Clearly defined KPIs to measure
performance against and a process
to review the plan and any KPIs on a
regular basis (at least bi-annually).
Underpinning all of this is a proactive,
professional mindset that looks to
anticipate and pre-empt seasonal risks.
Estates management is about managing
risk but it’s also about priorities and
understanding where best to invest the
energies of your organisation and when
to bring in the right skills to take on the
breadth of challenges.