Winter Maintenance for Commercial Properties

• Prepare your plan with the help of our winter maintenance worksheet
• Walk your property to understand where ice forms, and how to prevent it
• Require salt training for your team and hired contractor's staff
• Maintain good records in case of a slip and fall claim
• Identify where to store plowed snow that keeps ice from forming across your parking lot due to melt and freeze weather
• Have a plan to deal with ice when it is too cold for salt to work (around 10°C)

Display reminders for staff and visitors

• Apply stickers to salt storage bins as a reminder about responsible salt use
• Display posters and window clings to promote winter safety
• Download poster: winter safety poster 1 or winter safety poster 2

Order form to request your winter reminders

Close unneeded outdoor areas

• Walk your property to identify areas you can close that do not block emergency exits, accessibility ramps or entrances
• Examples of areas to close include overflow parking, seasonal patios, extra walkways and stairways.
• Benefits of closing unneeded areas may include:
  • Allows winter maintenance team to focus efforts on high traffic areas
  • Reduce winter maintenance costs and repairs from salt damage
  • Manage risk from potential slip and fall hazards
  • Reduce winter maintenance costs from plowing and salting
  • Provides location to store plowed snow

Are you closing areas this winter? Request your free Area Closed sign.

• Resources:
  • Closed area program information sheet
  • Artwork for Area Closed sign

• Complete salt management training and certify as a Smart About Salt contractor
• Order free reminder stickers to display on your salt storage bins
• Help your clients complete a property audit with the help of this winter maintenance worksheet
• Eligible Smart About Salt certified contractors can sign up for free daily weather forecasts

Resources

• Winter maintenance plan worksheet (Region of Waterloo)
• Infographic: winter maintenance best practices (Region of Waterloo)
• Training and certification program (Smart About Salt Council)
• Article: Best practices deliver big results (Landscape Trades magazine - snow & ice issue)
• Blog: Five actions your business can take to reduce slip and fall hazards this winter (Region of Waterloo)
• Blog: The side with the best records often wins a slip and fall lawsuit (Landscape Ontario)
• Blog: Legislative solutions to slip and fall liability (Landscape Ontario)
• Podcast: Exploring salt's impacts (The Snow magazine)
• Alternates to salt (Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program)
• Sand versus salt (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• Manual of best management practices for road salt in winter maintenance (Clear Roads)
• Good practices for winter maintenance in salt vulnerable areas (Conservation Ontario and Ontario Good Roads Association)
• Procurement guidance for parking lot snow and ice management (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority)
• Salt application best practices for winter maintenance contracts (Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program)
• Parking lot design guidelines (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• Equipment calibration (Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program)
  • Verification protocol for parking lot salt spreaders
  • Salt spreader verification worksheet
  • Salt calibration calculations

Training Videos

A new approach to winter maintenance

Learn about the importance of following a complete winter maintenance plan and steps to get started.

Contracts and training

Information to consider as part of your winter maintenance contract and the importance of including training.

Identifying slip and fall hazards

Identifying areas where ice can form in the winter and actions you can take to deal with potential slip and fall hazards.