Don’t let the harsh winters damage your residential or business property. Take charge now and follow some smart winter safety tips to fight stormy winter! Please read our quick winter safety tips checklist to protect your property this winter season and avoid losses.
Along with beautiful snow, holiday decorations, and treats, the winter season also brings you the risk of freeze-ups in and around your building. This is where you need to fasten your shoes and get to work if you want to avoid damage in the winter season.
Temperature drops can be harsh for your establishments, and here are quick winter safety tips for your business to avoid major losses and interruptions.
Protect Your Pipes
The basic principle of water expanding after freezing applies to the pipes in your building too. It would be best to prevent frozen pipes from bursting in the harsh winter weather. Here are some winter safety tips for the piping in your building:
- Insulate attics and crawlspace. These spaces are not generally heated.
- Add proper insulation to vulnerable pipes.
- Replace vulnerable pipes if damaged beyond repair, or remove the ones not in use.
- Keep your building at a temperature of 55° F or higher at all times.
- Install a smart temperature monitoring system.
- Don’t neglect outdoor hoses and irrigation systems.
Ensure Roof Protection
Damage to the roof due to snow and ice accumulation can make your structure vulnerable. Protect your building’s roof by following some simple steps:
- Before winter, fix any damage to the roof, such as small holes and cracked tiles.
- Keep gutters on the roof clean, or melting snow may create more problems.
- Know your roof’s maximum snow load and keep an eye on excessive snow or ice.
- Monitor signs of snow load damage, such as creaking sounds in the roof, a sagging roof, small cracks in the ceiling or walls, water stains, or leakages.
- Make sure your attics are well-insulated. Warm air in this area can cause ice dams.
Gather a Team
Along with winter safety tips, you need the expertise to keep your building safe in winter weather. You can hire a professional team that can help you with the following:
- Inspecting your roof and building before winter begins.
- Inspect your pipes, fix broken and vulnerable pipes, and any other plumbing emergencies.
- Preventing any electrical problems that may cause damage to the building during the winter season.
- Removing snow to release snow loads or avoid dams of ice safely.
- Examining any damage to the core structure is a structural engineer’s job, so you need one on the team.
Prevent Slips and Falls
Extreme winter weather can cause dangerous slip and fall accidents. Protect your people with these safety measures:
- Keep snow and ice away from your walkways.
- Install safety mats at entrances.
- Put warning signs to catch attention and prevent dangerous slips and falls.
Get Ready for Emergencies
Although preventing small accidents and big disasters is the goal, sometimes, situations may get out of your control. It would help if you got ready for winter weather emergencies by following these simple tips:
- Monitor harsh weather warnings and extreme temperature drops.
- Allow safe heat to the pipes.
- If a pipe bursts, turn off the water and call a licensed plumber immediately.
- Run safety drills and prepare your people if structural damage from snow and ice makes a building vulnerable.
- Keep emergency supplies in the building. This includes food, water, flashlights, a radio, extra batteries, a whistle, and a first aid kit.
Insurance can be a great backup plan.
Winter weather can create significant downtime in your business. You can keep your business going with a backup plan!
While following these winter safety tips is a must, having strong insurance for business to protect from natural or manmade calamities can help you save money on repairs or replacements.
Some highly-advised premiums include Business Income Coverage, Physical Damage Coverage, Contents Coverage, Property Coverage, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Umbrella Liability Insurance, and your basic General Liability Insurance.
To learn more about insurance plans that can protect your establishment this winter, contact our insurance experts at 855-539-2333 or write to us at info@exceedinsurance.com!
