The excitement of Christmas has gone, the new year’s resolutions have been broken. Yes, we are in the middle of Winter. It therefore feels appropriate for us to look at ways you can mitigate and reduce risk for the rest of this winter.
Impact on buildings:
Heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures and strong wind chills can all affect your business premises. This has become even more important in the last couple of years. We have regularly been encouraged to work from home and our offices have not had as many people in them. This can cause us to miss things happening in the building that could potentially cause a lot of damage to your building.
Snow:
It’s important to consider how heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures and strong wind chills might affect your business premises. Freshly fallen snow is heavier than you may think, and could potentially cause a lot of damage to your buildings.
As well as the weight of snow potentially causing roofs, walls and canopies to deflect, bow or collapse, there are many other impacts that snowfall can have on buildings. It can impair ventilation systems and roof lights, block roof drainage systems, and seal venting systems shut. Fluid-filled services and equipment, including sprinkler piping, can freeze if left exposed – and, of course, unheated buildings are themselves vulnerable to freezing.
Finally, melting snow combined with rainfall can easily overwhelm building drainage systems and those in the surrounding area, which can result in localised flooding.
You can find out more on how to protect your property from snow here.
Boilers:
Have you ever had to work in an office with a broken boiler? It involves staff working in coats, fingerless gloves and hats. It isn’t a pretty sight. The cost of an emergency repair and in some businesses shut down time can also be a costly expense that is best avoided.
It is therefore advisable that you have an annual boiler review, it will pick up on any issues earlier and often mean that the cost of repairing the boiler will be cheaper, quicker and easier. It is also important that you use a gas safe engineer you can find one at www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
Frozen pipes:
Damage caused by burst pipes can run extremely high. Not only can the water cause damage to the property but also to electrical items, or any paper-based records that you might be keeping, in fact Aviva state that one third of their claims by frequency is from water leaks. To avoid freezing pipes, simple measures can make a big difference. For example, lagging pipes in areas exposed to the cold (such as outside and in roof spaces), keeping heating systems at an ambient temperature, ensuring sprinkler systems are properly maintained and the sprinkler room kept warm.
It is also important that key staff know the location of the building’s stopcocks, so that water can be quickly shut off if a leak does occur. You can find out more about how to protect your pipes here.
Flooding:
Flooding is becoming more common in the UK and according to some reports it is expected to increase with climate change. While you cannot stop a flood there are things that you can do to limit the damage and speed up your business’s recovery time. We recommend taking time to assess your property, get prepared and plan for any bad weather. Events like flooding can be traumatic enough at the time, without having to worry about what to do and how to respond if a flood happens.
Ecclesiastical have produced a flood risk management guide which gives more detail on how to best prepare your business for a flood.
Storm damage:
With advances in weather monitoring it is very rare that a bad storm sneaks up on a business. It is therefore possible to plan for them and put in place practices to reduce damage.
The impact of windstorms can be reduced by appropriate design and foresight, ongoing inspection and maintenance, and developed preparation and planned responses plans.
Some of the ways to prepare for a storm include:
- Secure loose objects in your grounds – such as ladders, furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows and other glazing
- Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the building and especially large doors such as those on garages
- Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences
- Close and secure loft trapdoors with bolts, particularly if roof pitch is less than 30°
- If your building is fitted with storm shutters over the windows then ensure that these are closed and fastened.
For a more detailed plan of what you should do before, during and after a storm check out this advice from Aviva.
Protect your staff:
It is important to assess how cold weather conditions might affect your staff and take reasonable steps to manage this.
For indoor workers, it is recommended that the workplace stay above a minimum of 16 degrees Celsius. In freezing conditions, maintaining this temperature can place additional strain on boilers and heating systems, increasing the chance of breakdown. It is therefore important to service heating equipment regularly and ensure it is capable of handling prolonged cold snaps.
For outdoor workers, including those gritting or clearing leaves at your premises, some extra considerations should be taken. These include the provision of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), providing a warm area for rest breaks, having a means of summoning help if working alone, and briefing staff on the health effects of cold weather and any symptoms to look out for.
Guidance from the HSE is available to help protect your employees’ when working outdoors.
Slips and trips:
Fewer daylight hours, wet leaves, and the potential for snow and ice all contribute to a rise in slips and trips during autumn and winter.
Organisations owe a legal duty of care to employees and the public when they are on their premises. As an increased potential for slips and trips is foreseeable during winter, it is vital that steps are taken to minimise any incidents and avoid potential liability.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued detailed guidance for organisations, which includes activities such as removing leaves, responding to weather forecasts. Clearing and gritting pathways and pavements is also a must. Ice and snow can make pavements treacherous and slip accidents are all too common. Clear paths and car parks with a snow shovel (make sure you wear appropriate footwear yourself!) and spread plenty of rock salt on the ground.
To conclude:
Winter can be a tough time for and we understand that as a business there is a lot of pressure put on you. If you want some guidance about where your business is from an insurance point of view then visit our homepage for more details on our service. Or to speak to a member of our team call us on 0208 850 5531.
