Safety Tips When It Comes To Snow and Ice

Last month we published a blog discussing how snow removal services can make your property safer. This is all great, but simple snow removal in your parking lots and ice melting on your walkways is not an absolute solution. It still takes best practices being put into place by property management, staff, and visitors that make sure everyone leaves without a scrape. Snow and ice create more problems than just covering up concrete, they can create potential safety hazards across the landscape. We wanted to use this blog to overview these alternative scenarios and give you some tips on how to deal with them.

Snow Buildup on Dead Branches

Look out for another blog we will be publishing sometime this month, as we discuss all of the essential tree care services. One of those is pruning, which removes decayed material before it can cause a safety hazard like this. When foliage is experiencing decay, it weakens and is much more likely to fall in the face of adverse conditions. This can obviously be a safety hazard if large tree branches are falling off. The best way to prevent this is to stay on top of pruning and prevent dead foliage from being present when it snows.

Plant Safety: Cover for the Cold

Snow and ice can also be a safety hazard for your plants, not just people. The classic advice here rings true. You need to stay on top of weather data and know when that snowstorm is coming. Before it hits you can cover your sensitive plant material with burlap sacks, or move them inside if possible. If you are particularly worried about a certain piece of plant material, simply consult your partners at OakLawn for more information.

Take Care of Drainage

One way that ice can cause further problems on your property is if it is allowed to get into places it should not, like the foundation or deep into the soil. By taking care of drainage you can also make sure that any frozen water is directed away from walkways, and plant material. This does not need to be anything intensive like a french drain, just direct downspouts, and extensions towards specified areas.

Keep Property Equipped with Emergency Equipment

Straying away from our typical landscaping-related advice, this is just to keep you and your staff safe. Sometimes these blizzards come quicker than can be prepared for in the immediate days preceding, but there are some general preparedness guidelines. Make sure that your property is stocked with flashlights, an emergency radio, batteries, a small food supply, and water. In case staff gets stuck on-site, you want to make sure that everyone is taken care of for the time being.

Your landscaping is the first thing noticed by your visitors, friends, and customers. Let OakLawn Landscaping ensure that your first impressions are top notch and have your guests in awe before they even reach the door. Visit our website, or contact us today at (301) 854-0684 for any of your landscaping needs, commercial or residential.