How to Prepare Your Facility for Winter This Year
The winter brings all types of weather, including snow, sleet and ice. While this weather is an excellent opportunity for some winter fun, it can hurt businesses trying to continue their daily operations. Companies can lose revenue if they’re down for too long during a snow event, and warehouses could fail to fulfill orders promptly.
By utilizing winter storm prep for businesses, you can stay on top of these events. Continue reading about snow and ice storm preparation and how to prepare for a winter storm before it happens, minimizing downtime and potential damages.
Winter Maintenance Plan
When preparing for winter storms, you’ll want to create a winter readiness plan to ensure that your facility and staff can handle potential bad weather as it rolls in with the season. You’ll want to put this plan in place before winter starts so you’re not scrambling to keep operations going when a winter storm hits.
The following are things to add to your maintenance plan to help you prepare for a winter storm and keep your facility operational.
Hire Someone to Plow
One way to prepare for a winter storm event is to hire a contractor to plow your location when snow or ice builds up. Snow plowing helps remove the build-up from the roads, allowing cars and pedestrians to reach your business safely. Plowing snow off the streets and warehouse lots keeps you in business, preventing you from losing revenue during the winter.
You’ll want to look for a contractor before winter starts to ensure that you find one that suits your needs. Waiting until winter means you may pay more or have trouble finding an available contractor since winter is the peak season.
Once you find a contractor in the summer or fall, you should talk with them about their winter services. They can help prepare your facility to keep you operational during a snow event. They will walk around your facility to determine what areas need to be plowed and where they can store the plowed snow while it melts. Your contractor may also offer snow removal services to ensure no hazards remain on your property and there’s always access to your facility.
Consider Preventative Treatment
Another way to prepare for winter is to use preventative treatments to reduce ice or snow build-up and damage to your facility. While talking with your contractor about snow plowing, you should determine if they offer salting services. Salting roadways and sidewalks help ice and snow melt, preventing these locations from becoming a hazard that results in accidents or falls. Your contractor would monitor weather systems to determine when a winter storm is incoming and salt your property before it hits, preventing these hazards from forming.
You’ll also want to fortify your facility, which includes:
- Performing maintenance and repairs on your roof
- Checking weatherstripping and insulation for gaps and adding insulation where necessary
- Testing heaters and backup lighting
- Refilling fuel tanks before winter
- Developing plans in case of an outage
- Checking your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Protect the Floors
Your floors can become damaged from snow and ice, especially when people walk in from outside and track remnants of the weather. The moisture can damage your floors, requiring costly repairs or replacements. Wet floors can also create a hazard for staff and customers.
You can protect your floors by adding absorbent entryway floor mats to wick away moisture as people come inside. You can also place scrapper mats just outside entryways to give people a place to scrape snow and ice off their shoes.
Additionally, you’ll want to take care of your indoor hardwood and carpet flooring. Regular maintenance on these materials can keep them from sustaining damage if some moisture or salt makes its way inside, saving you from having to pay for repairs or replacements.
Inform and Prepare Employees
Your employees should be adequately informed and prepared in case of a winter event. You’ll need to provide them with the information and resources they need to know what to do when a winter storm hits. Your employees should have complete access to your winter maintenance plan and emergency supplies to know what to do in case a severe storm hits your location.
You can help inform and prepare employees by sharing safety tips and reviewing how to operate backup generators and other equipment. You should also provide them with information about the correct protective clothing for the season or offer it to them as part of their uniform. Employees should also be trained to identify frostbite and hypothermia so they can get medical attention as soon as possible if they or one of their coworkers starts to exhibit symptoms.
You can take preparedness one step further by using the National Weather Service to stay updated on upcoming weather events. If you see a snow or ice event incoming, you can have your employees start preparations ahead of time to ensure the safety of your staff and patrons. Preparing your team also reduces downtime and prevents lost revenue.
Prepare a Winter Storm Supplies Checklist
You should have two types of checklists when you prepare for the winter. The first checklist should include tasks to ensure that your facility is fortified and ready for all winter storms. The second checklist includes items you should have at your facility in case a severe winter storm hits and your employees have to shelter in place for an extended period. This supplies checklist should include:
- First-aid kits
- Emergency blankets and sleeping bags
- Plenty of non-perishable food and water
- Flashlights
- Snow shovels, scapers and brushes
- Warm clothes, including gloves, jackets and hats
- Portable chargers
- Flares
- Emergency heat sources, such as a generator or space heater
You should collect anything you think you may need in an emergency and ensure that everyone on site has access to the emergency kit in case a winter storm hits and traps everyone on site for a few hours or more.
Prepare for Winter With S&S Plowing
Preparing for winter is essential as a business to ensure that you can continue operations and sustain your revenue throughout the snowy season. It also keeps your staff and patrons safe from accidents or falls. S&S Plowing can assist with all your winter needs, whether you need your roads plowed or snow removed from your site. We also offer salting services to make your walkways and roads safer.
We have been servicing our community for over 25 years, and safety is our primary concern. Our team will monitor the weather and head out before a storm arrives, ensuring that your facility, staff and customers are protected before a snow event occurs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you prepare your facility for winter!
