To Grit or Not to Grit?

To Grit or Not to Grit?

That is the question on everyone’s lips with the current weather hitting the UK. With the increase of personal damage law suits what really is best?

Local councils across Britain have a legal obligation to clear roads and keep traffic moving, however residents and business owners are often unaware what their obligation is.

Every winter this is the ongoing debate, after a colleague slipped yesterday at a local hotel and when they queried why the path ways had not been gritted their reply was well it opens us up to lawsuits if they had made an effort to clear and someone still slipped.

So are you safer from a legal perspective for not clearing versus clearing snow and then someone slips?

So what are you to do dealing with both public paths, carparks, walkways and pavements close to your business premises and for road access?

So what are the facts?

The official Snow Code issued by the Government in 2012:

1. Clear the top layer of fresh loose snow early in the morning. Any ice underneath will be melted by sunshine. Cover the path with salt at night to prevent it re-freezing.
2. Never use water as this can cause black ice.
3. Always use grit salt (effective down to -10oC). A tablespoon for each square meter.
4. Excess salt can be hazardous.
5. Sand or ash won’t work as well but may provide better grip.
6. Don’t block drains or paths with cleared snow.
7. Make a clear path to work from down the centre and shovel the snow to the sides.
8. Pay extra attention to steps or inclines.
9. Gritting bins are for public areas only. If a bin is damaged or needs refilling do report it.
10. Clear snow and do gritting for those with health problems, disabilities and elderly neighbours.

Safe access at all costs for business

The law and regulations are clear for businesses – the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 (amended in 1984) obliges the owner or occupier of private land to ensure safe access for staff and visitors. If you do your own gritting it’s a good idea to provide training for snow clearance, but you must also remember to highlight to staff that appropriate warm clothing and high visibility vests are crucial when clearing a car park. By gritting your site before ice forms and keeping an accurate log of what’s been done, you are reducing accident risks and maintaining your reputation.

Health and Safety at Work (1999) and The Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) (1992) regulation 12 obligations means you must ensure internal floors aren’t slippery too, which easily occurs in the winter.

Everybody has a responsibility under common law to identify and reduce risks. Staff should be aware of their own safety and any risks to it, and they should be encouraged to report hazardous ice.

So what myths that you should ignore?

A lot of scaremongering have advised stopping snow clearance altogether or at least keep it to the minimum to the boundary of your business premises.

There are arguments stating if you leave the pavement in a slippery condition you cannot be sued; or if you grit a public pavement somebody could assume it is safe but still fall.

There is no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice from the pavement, but It is an offence to clear snow and ice onto a road or pavement. Your duty of care concerns reasonably practicable tasks. Effective snow and ice clearance is safer than not clearing, which means you are unlikely to be held responsible for falls.

So what do are you to do?

Perhaps use some common sense, a thing that it dwindling today? Are you staff, customers & visitors safety important to you? If so there is little to debate. A common-sense approach by everyone concerned will improve winter safety on public and private pathways and help prevent accidents.

 http://www.dexionstorage.co.uk/winter-management