Ground Control, the
UK’s largest independent winter maintenance provider, is warning UK businesses
to get ready for what some forecasters are predicting will be the coldest
winter in over a decade.
Richard Burroughs,
who is Business Development Director for Ground Control’s award-winning winter
maintenance services UK-wide, advises businesses of all types not to be lulled
into a false sense of security by the long balmy autumn weather.
He commented; ‘’Our
long-range weather forecasts claim that Britain could be braced to face the
coldest and harshest winter for almost a decade. More businesses need to be
ready for this and prepare appropriately now.”
Last year ‘The Beast
from the East’ created some of the most challenging weather experienced in the
UK for years. The Met Office issued numerous red warnings - its most severe
alert - as temperatures plunged with widespread snowfall accumulations.
With predictions
pointing toward a potentially bitterly cold winter ahead, businesses should
plan and prepare a meticulous winter maintenance regime ensuring their sites
remain safe and operational, despite what hazardous conditions the winter
weather may bring.
Encouraging UK
businesses to forward plan and think ahead, Burroughs continued, “Legally, the
position of employers and property owners is abundantly clear. The Occupiers’
Liability Act 1957 states that property owners/occupiers have a common duty of
care to provide every ‘reasonable precaution’ to ensure their staff and
visitors remain safe at all times. The onus is therefore on all businesses to
have contingency plans in place ahead of any adverse weather event, preventing
likely slips, trip and/or accidents.”
Ground Control
advises how an effective, robust winter maintenance plan should be an integral
part of an organisation’s health and safety policy and should include:
- A clear process with
allocated overall responsibility for overseeing the plan and specific
tasks assigned to individuals who have had appropriate training
- Detailed site specifications
with identified hazardous areas and bespoke clearance and gritting
instructions for each site including risk assessments and method
statements
- Continuous monitoring of the
plan and performance measurement against defined key performance
indicators
- Plans to regularly maintain
winter vehicles and equipment
- The procurement and
maintenance of adequate supplies of clearance equipment, salt and grit
bins to last through a harsh winter
- Procedures to communicate the
safe operating procedures to all staff
“The crucial
decision as to whether gritting and snow clearance services should be
outsourced or self-delivered should not be made lightly," continued
Richard Burroughs. "There is an abundance of guidance on this topic, and
naturally as a specialist winter maintenance service provider, Ground Control
can fully support in this respect.
“The cold weather
last year, which saw major disruptions across the country, cost the UK economy
at least £1bn per day. Attempting to combat all that the winter weather may
bring without having made the proper preparations, proved to be troublesome for
many businesses across all sectors. It is therefore strongly advised to
evaluate the associated risks and plan and prepare in advance.”
Only last year did
Ground Control make the strategic acquisition of Litter Boss, (specialists in
grounds and winter maintenance) which has increased their nationwide economies
of scale and operational efficiencies. This now makes Ground Control undoubtedly,
the largest winter maintenance provider across the UK.
They have recently been awarded The Queen’s Award for
Innovation in recognition of their pioneering role in creating leading edge
technology specifically geared for winter maintenance operations. The challenge
for Ground Controlrevolved around
the need to allocate resources and people with the highest degree of accuracy,
speed and efficiency, directing hundreds of teams nationally at any one time
based on customer demand. The company developed its own software technologies
that provides each of its clients with full real-time visibility into the works
being carried out anywhere in the UK.
“Don’t get caught
out,” Burroughs summarised. “Remember that prevention is better than cure, so
prepare now… Please feel free to reach out for professional advice or for a
free no obligation quotation.’’
