The-Best-Products-to-Keep-Your-Business-Snow-and-Ice-Free

Now that the winter is in full swing, it is time to make sure you are stocked up on winter maintenance essentials so that your business can keep working even in the harshest of conditions.  Here are our top product recommendations for winter-proofing your business.

Grit or de-icing salt

Grit and de-icing salt are a great way of tackling ice and snow – failing to do so could result in your staff or customers slipping and becoming injured, which could cost you in lost business or productivity. Grits and salts are super easy to use – simply spread them liberally over your pathways, shop fronts and car park areas in the evening if you are expecting a cold night and the ice and snow will not be able to settle as easily. If necessary, do the same in the morning (before your main influx of staff or customers) to keep on top of the freezing weather if it continues. In particularly cold times, especially if your business has a lot of traffic and/or footfall, you may need to re-grit during the day, so keep an eye out if you think there is a risk.

Grit spreaders

To make the gritting or salting process easier, you can use a dedicated spreader – these are wheel-mounted hoppers that disperse your grit for you. Simply fill them up and push them along to spread the de-icing substances where you need them most. If you have a particularly large site, consider a tow-along model – these have larger hoppers and can be hitched to the back of a ride-on mower or similar small vehicle for faster, easier dispersal.

Grit bins

Of course, you can easily spread grit manually if the area is reasonably sized – simply use a shovel to spread it where you need it. To make the process even simpler, and to save storage space in your facility, you can store your grit in dedicated grit bin. These are the large yellow containers you can sometimes see on streets and are a great way of keeping your de-icing products close to where you need them most (high traffic areas, steps, etc). Get a good quality grit bin and you can store your grit for months and months, so there is no need to leave stocking up until the last minute. It is worth noting that grit suppliers are obliged to serve local government and councils before private enterprises, so make sure that you beat the rush.

Snow ploughs

Before you can start gritting, you need to clear the area of any loose snow. This can be done with a snow shovel for small areas, but if you have a larger outdoor space and you also have a forklift truck, you can get a snow plough attachment for the vehicle, which slots over the forks and enables you to use it to clear larger amounts of snow quickly. The great thing about many of the attachments is that they can often serve double duty as a yard scraper in non-snowy times, so they can be a good investment.

Electric heaters

Once you and your staff have safely made it indoors, you can keep everyone happy and productive by using electric heaters. For large spaces like warehouses and manufacturing facilities, consider an industrial-sized fan heater that will quickly warm up the area. For smaller sites like offices or shops, a smaller convection model will more than likely suffice – just make sure that in either case you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding placement and use.