Commercial snow removal services are a big responsibility for everyone involved.
By far the biggest commitment is insuring dangerous ice is melted and prevented from re-freezing when the Sun goes down.
If your snow removal service doesn’t have a De-Icing Program, and all they do is throw down dirt and some salt, it’s likely the conditions of your parking lots and sidewalks will be less than safe.
The good news is… removing ice for good after a storm, is more than doable.
Proper applications to de-icing a huge area like your parking lots and sidewalks depends on planning, manpower and equipment.
Tips on Keeping Your Commercial Property Impervious to Slips & Falls
Directly after completing sections of your property your snow removal service MUST spread salt/sand throughout the parking lot, and calcium chloride to sidewalks and all outdoor walking areas.
The gist to this approach is understanding the size of commercial properties, thus the consideration of time it will take to completely clear it. The mistake most snow removal services make is waiting to clear the entire space AND THEN apply ice-melt applications.
Applications must be spread immediately after an area has been completed. This will insure the snow-cleared areas don’t have the opportunity to freeze and cause dangerous conditions and potential liability issues.
Here’s the key… the faster salt/sand and calcium chloride are put down, the quicker the sun will melt AND dry left over snow, stopping it from freezing overnight.
Top 3 Ways Snow Removal Services Can Insure Safety, Speed & Efficiency with Ice
- Plow trucks must have sanders attached to them* … rather than having separate trucks that come after the plow trucks. Again, timing with salt/sand and de-icing methods require immediate application after snow have been removed.
*With one exception… If your snow removal service uses a plow truck for multiple properties during the same storm, a more productive approach is individual sanding trucks that follow behind plow trucks. - Plow trucks must be loaded & ready-to-go with salt/sand BEFORE THE STORM BEGINS. Not being prepared and ready at a moment’s notice… dangerous icing will form on your property for sure. Additionally, to increase speed and efficiency you can store salt / sand out-of-the-way on your property.
- Shoveling sidewalks and then applying calcium chloride instantly is the best method to preventing ice from forming overnight when the ground is at its coldest.
Not only are these three methods proven to work time and again, they impact the overall timing of how to properly clear snow safely, quickly and efficiently.
In the end, there’s not a big secret to the importance of melting-ice and keeping it from returning… the big secret is how to do it quickly and efficiently so your tenants, and their customers have a safe experience at your properties.
