Winter Maintenance for Commercial Properties
Is your business winter-ready?
Whether you clear your snow or hire someone to do it, you are responsible for the safety of others on your property. Because safety is number one, you reach for what has always worked – salt. However salt can create more problems than it solves.
Over salting or salting when not required can be damaging to property and our community's drinking water. Salt should never be your first or only line of defence to deal with snow and ice. Salt can be part of the answer, but using it correctly can protect you and your drinking water.
Institutional and commercial properties:
| Free sign to close unneeded areas |
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Order form to request your free Area Closed sign. Manage your risk from potential slip and fall hazards by closing areas not needed in the winter. Identify areas you can close without impeding emergency exits, accessibility ramps or entrances such as overflow parking, outdoor patios, extra walkways and stairways. Area Closed sign specifications:
Resources:
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| Winter safety posters and window clings |
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Display these posters and window clings to promote winter safety to your staff and visitors.
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| Worksheet to prepare your winter maintenance plan |
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Use this winter maintenance plan worksheet to prepare for winter. The worksheet covers:
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Snow removal service contractors:
- complete salt management training and certify as a Smart About Salt contractor
- help your clients complete a property audit to reduce slip and fall hazards with the help of this worksheet
- eligible Smart About Salt certified contractors can sign up to receive free daily weather forecasts
Winter maintenance resources:
- Winter maintenance plan worksheet (Region of Waterloo)
- Infographic: Is your business winter-ready? (Region of Waterloo)
- Blog: Five actions your business can take to reduce slip and fall hazards this winter (Region of Waterloo)
- Podcast: Exploring salt's impacts (The Snow magazine)
- Smart About Salt Council training and certification program
- 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)
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