Slips on snow and ice can lead to significant injury. If it happens on your premises, and you haven’t gritted the area, you could be held liable. Even if you have done, you could still be exposed to legal action.

With winter fast approaching, we help you revisit best practice for this time of year, so you’re protecting yourself from unwanted insurance claims.

Get a policy in place. Know your vulnerable icy spots.

That’s why it’s important to have a comprehensive policy in place to help prevent these injuries from happening. The policy should identify those areas most affected by ice and always in use by the public. That’s usually car parks, entrances, shortcuts and shaded areas, where ice thaws slowly.

Gritting these areas with rock salt is the key preventative measure in any snow and ice policy. It needs time to dissolve into the moisture on the ground, so you’re best gritting early in the evening before frost forms. Or very early in the morning before people are using the walkways.

There’s no definitive guide on how much salt to use, but roads normally receive 10-15 grams per m2 when freezing temperatures are forecast, and 20-40 grams per m2 when ice and snow is on the ground.

Keep checking progress and record any incident.

It’s crucial you monitor whether your organisation is turning the policy into action. That way you can be confident you’ve followed best practice if a claim arises.

You should also have a robust investigation procedure for when an incident happens. Make sure you record a copy of the weather forecast at the time of any incident, and note when you decided to grit and why.

Here’s some more best practice to help beat the ice and avoid any trips and falls through the winter months:

1. Keep tracking the weather and temperature, so you know when to take action.
2. Ensure areas are well lit for pedestrians to spot icy patches.
3. Install canopies over doorways to keep them dry and free of ice.
4. Make sure walkways are well drained to remove rainwater.
5. If gritting is delayed, cordon off high-risk areas and put up signs to warn people.
6. Don’t grit shortcuts that people use. If you’ve identified one, convert it into a proper walkway, or take steps to warn people from using it.
7. Train relevant staff on your gritting procedure, and how to apply it to the location they’re responsible for. Formalising and documenting who’s responsible for your policy is crucial for claims management purposes.

Disclaimer

This article and related document links do not purport to be comprehensive or to give legal advice. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Risk Management Partners cannot be held liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies contained within the article and related document links.

Readers should not act upon (or refrain from acting upon) information in this article and related document links without first taking further specialist or professional advice.

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