Frost and snow. You either love it or you hate it – but either way living in England we get a lot of frost! For facilities managers in the hospitality industry, this is one of the most demanding times of year. Cold, icy weather conditions, high volumes of traffic and visitors pouring in and out can sometimes make the winter season of joy feel less than joyful. Especially if you haven’t prepared your grounds properly. So today we wanted to pay it forward and share our tips for safe grounds this winter.
Review Your Grounds
If you haven’t done it in a while, take stock of all outdoor areas on your premises, and identify any areas that need special attention. That includes:
- Problematic drainage areas that could lead to ice build-up
- Blocked or overgrown fire escapes.
- Overhanging branches that might snap in the event of heavy wind or snow.
- Build-ups of leaves that could pose a slip hazard.
This will give you a shortlist of things to prioritise and deal with right away.
Tree & Shrub Maintenance
The winter months tend to bring extreme weather, so now is the time to make sure all of your trees and shrubs are trimmed and pruned back ready for it. This includes removing dead or weak branches so they don’t break off and cause damage in high winds or under heavy snowfall. It’s also just good maintenance for them, as it encourages new, healthy growth in spring and will leave you with stronger plants. You should also do some final leaf clearance so that no freshly dropped leaves can get wet, freeze or clog drains, causing ice and slip hazards.
Winter Landscaping
Some businesses are quite happy letting their grounds take on their natural, dormant appearance over the winter. However, hospitality managers in particular will want to ensure their grounds are attractive in colder months for all of their visitors and seasonal guests. For this, you could consider adding evergreen plants, winter flowers and seasonal decorations to your outdoor spaces. These can enhance the beauty of your grounds and help to brighten up the cold, dull winter months.
Snow & Ice Management
Even though we might didn’t get our White Christmas (at least down South) we know the English weather will certainly bring us frost and ice. Hospitality managers need to be able to keep walkways, driveways and parking areas clear and safe to use for visitors and employees at all times. While we don’t provide this directly as a service, we can give the following advice for managing it:
- Stock up on de-icing materials like rock salt or calcium chloride.
- If you don’t have any, invest in some snow removal equipment like shovels and snow blowers.
- Create a snow clearance plan, so that you can quickly tackle it in the event of snow.
- Prioritise preventative gritting on walkways, entrances and emergency exits
Check Your Lighting
The daylight hours are a lot shorter in winter, so you need to ensure you have proper lighting to keep everyone on your premises safe. Check your exterior lights (including car park and walkway lights) are in good condition. Trim back and clear any trees or shrubs that are obstructing the light or growing around the light infrastructure, as they could cause damage.
Regular Maintenance
The real key to safe and beautiful grounds is regular maintenance. It’s not enough to do one big clear-up at the start of the season and leave it at that. Debris will build up and new issues will appear as the weather changes and time progresses. Regular grounds maintenance means your premises will always be safe, well cared for and look its best at all times. Not only that, but your grounds maintenance team can keep an eye out for developing hazards, like cracked pavements or loose fence panels, and let you know right away so that you can fix them.
At Pod Landscapes, we tailor our grounds maintenance solutions to each client and each season, so you can be sure you’re always getting the best care for your outdoor spaces as possible. To find out more, or to book your free site visit for the new year, just get in touch with the Pod Landscapes team today.
