Car park gritting is vital to prevent injury to staff and customers from slipping and sliding on ice.
Accidents caused by trips and falls are a major cause of injuries among workers and members of the public. In 2009, just over 20 per cent of injuries reported to health and safety were caused by falls at work and of these a quarter of those injured were off work for more than a month.
This is why it is important to have the correct health and safety measures in place, such as car park gritting, to prevent work-related injuries. Car park gritting ensures public access areas are clear of snow and ice to guard against costly legal claims, lost revenue from staff absences and subsequent damage to reputation.
Ice Watch carry out a range of winter services, including car park gritting, and we shall examine the importance of this below.
Car Park Gritting - contact us now for a free quotation.
Why Is Slipping So Dangerous?
Watch any episode of ‘You’ve Been Framed’ and you could have been forgiven for thinking that slipping and falling is a minor, even a funny matter. But for most adults, landing with your full bodyweight on your hands, wrists, or any part of your skeleton can potentially cause serious injury.
While you might get away with a bit of bruising, simply falling at the wrong angle can result in broken bones or even spinal and head injuries - the kind of injuries which take months to heal, or even result in permanent impairment.
Not surprisingly, people affected in this way may well consider a legal claim in order to compensate them for loss of earnings or the costs of medical care. So for any business that has failed to put measures in place to minimise slipping, such as car park gritting, the cost can be very high indeed.
Factors Contributing to Slipping in Winter
Statistics show the numbers of slip and trip accidents rise over the autumn and winter months and some of the reasons for this are: less daylight hours, rainwater, wet leaves on paths and ice, and frost and snow forming.
When the light falls in winter, this can prevent staff and customers seeing potential dangers ahead, so it is important to install adequate lighting.
Fallen leaves are another risk in autumn and winter as wet leaves can become a slipping hazard. Leaves can also conceal places where workers can trip, so should be cleared to prevent accidents.
Wet areas on paths, grass, or mud have the potential to cause injury by slipping. In addition, the presence of snow and ice on pavements and delivery areas leaves your workforce vulnerable. We shall look into more detail about car park gritting and other ways to keep your workforce safe in icy weather below.
Prevention Measures
There are a number of measures to take to minimise slips during frosty conditions.
It is vital to to keep abreast of the weather conditions and to take action when freezing weather is forecast. If sub-zero temperatures are predicted there must be adequate procedures in place to prevent ice forming and to divert pedestrians away from hazardous spots.
Ensuring potential accident spots are gritted in icy weather is one way to keep your workforce safe. Car park gritting works in one of two ways: either as a preventative measure to stop ice-forming or to melt existing snow or ice.
Car park gritting, and other forms of gritting, should be done when ice, frost, or snow is forecast or when car parks are likely to be wet or damp and the ground temperature drops to or below zero.
The best time for gritting is early evening, before the frost gets a chance to settle, or early morning before staff and customers arrive at the workplace - which means that it requires people on call at unsocial hours for gritting to work properly.
Salt does not create instantaneous results, it takes time to take effect and it takes longer to work on pedestrian routes than roads and car parks - which is why it is important to employ the services of an expert.
In addition, there are are also set amounts of grit to use per meter, and certain conditions where grit will be ineffective (i.e. when it is raining heavily or when compacted snow turns to ice). Gritters need to be knowledgeable about when and where to use the grit to achieve the best results.
Risk assessments must also be carried out to identify the places most prone to ice forming. This can include car parks, building entrances, walkways, ramps, short cuts and zones that are constantly in the shade or wet.
It takes experience to pin-point potential hazards, especially if the risk assessor is very familiar with a particular building, as some areas can be easily overlooked.
These preventative measures, combined with the need for up-to-date reports, mean that the use of a private gritting contractor is the most effective way to ensure your workforce is kept safe.
The Easy Way To Guard Against Ice Slips This Winter
Ice Watch have the experience to properly assess your premises, keep up-to-date records and they have the resources, equipment and experience to use the correct gritting procedures for the most effective results.
They monitor highly localised weather reports from WeatherQuest and grit only as and when needed to keep costs to a minimum and to ensure no salt is wasted. All our clients are covered by our £10 million public liability insurance.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Is there a Gritting Shaped Hole in Your Health & Safety Policy?
Whatever your health and safety policy in the workplace, you should ensure that all areas are made safe for employees - which is why it is so vital to use the services of private gritting contractors.
Even businesses that take a great deal of care when it comes to maintaining health and safety at work, can all too easily forget about the risks posed to employees and visitors when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
As icy conditions are not a daily occurrence, it is simple for employers to overlook the importance of gritting contractors. However, the fall-out from injuries caused by treacherous weather can hit a company hard - even though these consequences could have been be avoided by using gritting contractors such as Ice Watch.
For many businesses already burdened with paperwork, it is understandable that putting their own systems in place to cater for ice and snow is time consuming - it involves risk assessment, appointing the right staff to do this, training, sourcing grit and machinery, and more paperwork.
Luckily, this is something that can be outsourced to gritting contractors and is not only cost effective, but will give you valuable peace of mind.
Gritting Contractors - contact us now for a free quotation.
Why Is Gritting So Easily Forgotten?
In 2009, just over one in five accidents reported to Health and Safety were caused by a trip, fall or slip in the workface and some of these injuries were caused by inadequate measures in place during frosty conditions.
Although there is health and safety guidance available for when the weather plummets, gritting is so easily forgotten as the bulk of health and safety information focuses on the internal areas of a business.
For example health and safety risk assessments mainly talk of hazards IN the workplace - checking kitchens, stockrooms etc - which draws attention to the immediate working environment, rather than outside.
However, there is also a duty of care for employers to take the necessary precautions to the external areas to prevent injuries to staff, customers, and pedestrians. One of the ways to do this is by hiring gritting contractors.
What Might Prompt a Business to Pay Attention to Gritting?
A properly maintained health and safety policy will include keeping records of accidents and for staff to report a potential risk.
In practice this should mean that if an employee did sustain an ice-related injury, this ought to be noted immediately so managers can set the wheels in motion to prevent it happening again.
This of course depends on employees recording such an incident and they may not think it relevant unless the injury is more serious. Unfortunately, by then harm has been done and the business could be liable for a claim.
Gritting contractors, however, are specialists in this area and will carry out a thorough risk assessment to identify hazardous areas, then grit only as and when needed. Ice Watch keep up-to-date reports in the event of any claim and all our contract clients are covered by our £10 million public liability insurance.
What Are the Options for Including Gritting In Your Health and Safety Policy?
About Ice Watch
Ice Watch are nationwide gritting contractors who aim to prevent accidents and injuries by keeping car parks, walkways, ramps, access areas, loading bays, paths, driveways, steps and public places ice free. We organise weather monitoring, site inspections, gritting and record keeping on your behalf to keep your workplace safe.
We have gritters stationed on 150 sites throughout the UK, so wherever you are based we can help. Contact us on: 01728 633900 or email: mail@icewatch.co.uk
Even businesses that take a great deal of care when it comes to maintaining health and safety at work, can all too easily forget about the risks posed to employees and visitors when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
As icy conditions are not a daily occurrence, it is simple for employers to overlook the importance of gritting contractors. However, the fall-out from injuries caused by treacherous weather can hit a company hard - even though these consequences could have been be avoided by using gritting contractors such as Ice Watch.
For many businesses already burdened with paperwork, it is understandable that putting their own systems in place to cater for ice and snow is time consuming - it involves risk assessment, appointing the right staff to do this, training, sourcing grit and machinery, and more paperwork.
Luckily, this is something that can be outsourced to gritting contractors and is not only cost effective, but will give you valuable peace of mind.
Gritting Contractors - contact us now for a free quotation.
Why Is Gritting So Easily Forgotten?
In 2009, just over one in five accidents reported to Health and Safety were caused by a trip, fall or slip in the workface and some of these injuries were caused by inadequate measures in place during frosty conditions.
Although there is health and safety guidance available for when the weather plummets, gritting is so easily forgotten as the bulk of health and safety information focuses on the internal areas of a business.
For example health and safety risk assessments mainly talk of hazards IN the workplace - checking kitchens, stockrooms etc - which draws attention to the immediate working environment, rather than outside.
However, there is also a duty of care for employers to take the necessary precautions to the external areas to prevent injuries to staff, customers, and pedestrians. One of the ways to do this is by hiring gritting contractors.
What Might Prompt a Business to Pay Attention to Gritting?
A properly maintained health and safety policy will include keeping records of accidents and for staff to report a potential risk.
In practice this should mean that if an employee did sustain an ice-related injury, this ought to be noted immediately so managers can set the wheels in motion to prevent it happening again.
This of course depends on employees recording such an incident and they may not think it relevant unless the injury is more serious. Unfortunately, by then harm has been done and the business could be liable for a claim.
Gritting contractors, however, are specialists in this area and will carry out a thorough risk assessment to identify hazardous areas, then grit only as and when needed. Ice Watch keep up-to-date reports in the event of any claim and all our contract clients are covered by our £10 million public liability insurance.
What Are the Options for Including Gritting In Your Health and Safety Policy?
- Do it yourself. This involves doing a proper risk assessment, training the staff, getting the necessary equipment and salt supplies, organising the relevant paperwork as well as arranging overtime payments (because most gritting is done during unsociable hours). Expert knowledge is required on how to identify the areas most at risk as well as the time and expense to put everything in place
- Outsource to professional gritting contractors. This is by far the successful, cost-effective and hassle free option. Ice Watch staff are fully trained to carry out a proper risk assessment identifying all the hazardous areas and are trained on how to put the correct measures in place to prevent accidents. Professional gritting contractors such as Ice Watch, cover all the legal aspects including full record keeping and for additional peace of mind, all our contract clients are covered by a £10 million public liability insurance.
About Ice Watch
Ice Watch are nationwide gritting contractors who aim to prevent accidents and injuries by keeping car parks, walkways, ramps, access areas, loading bays, paths, driveways, steps and public places ice free. We organise weather monitoring, site inspections, gritting and record keeping on your behalf to keep your workplace safe.
We have gritters stationed on 150 sites throughout the UK, so wherever you are based we can help. Contact us on: 01728 633900 or email: mail@icewatch.co.uk
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