Here are our ten tips to remember in your preventative maintenance schedule to keep your site running smoothly this winter.
01 Ice and snow
Avoid slips and falls by ensuring your site is always clear of ice and snow. Don’t wait for the first frost or snowfall of the year before thinking about ice and snow melting pellets, check your current stocks now and make sure you have sufficient supply for the winter. During particularly harsh winters availability can become restricted, so it’s best to plan ahead.
02 Pipes
Ensure all exposed pipes are lagged or insulated. You may have checked them last year, but a lot can change in twelve months and a quick inspection will catch any developing problems. Stock up now on pipe repair products should the need arise and shut off any pipes not used during the winter months.
03 Pot holes
Cold weather, frost and ice all contribute to small holes in walkways and driveways growing in size, creating bigger maintenance headaches than necessary come spring. Make sure you fill them in before the weather can erode things further.
04 External assets
It’s worth a short walk around your site to make sure that any external assets are protected. It will be easier to treat the signs of rust now, rather than battling the elements in the depths of winter. Just make sure that once you have removed any rust you apply a corrosion resistant coating to prevent the rust returning.
05 Lights
Are all of your external lights working? Test all external lights now and have a ready supply of bulbs available to keep everyone safe and avoid slips and trips.
06 Entrance mats
Replacing the carpets or investing in a big cleanup operation because of muddy boot prints is a waste of valuable resource. Better to make a very small investment in mats now to save money in the long run.
07 Roof and guttering
Now is the time check your roof for leaks or damage and carry out repairs. To remove the potential of injury during routine, or even emergency, maintenance there may be areas on site that need to be sealed, especially if there is a significant increase in rainfall. Also ensure you clear out any leaves, dirt or other blockages in your guttering to avoid a potential build-up of ice.
08 Weather forecast!
Regularly check in with a reputable weather forecast app or website. Looking ahead will help you plan things like reduces speed limits on site if the weather is due to deteriorate.
09 Vehicle pre-winter check
Ensure all forklifts, vans, tractors and any other vehicles used on site are ready for winter. Make sure they have the correct antifreeze, screen wash, tyres and have been fully serviced. Don’t forget to test the batteries too; cold and damp weather can be fatal for batteries.
10 Snow removal equipment
Ensure snow removal equipment ready and accessible. As it’s likely it hasn’t been used since last year, so you should make sure that any machinery is fully serviced now and ready for action when you need it.