Winter Floor Care: Ensuring Safety and Accessibility

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

As colder temperatures set in, winter presents unique challenges for commercial property owners. Snow, sludge, mud and ice-preventing chemicals can harm your property's floors, with these elements often being tracked indoors by people and equipment. Excessive precipitation and freeze-thaw cycles can lead to the deterioration of parking lots and sidewalks, which can pose safety and accessibility issues. Let's explore winter-specific challenges and practical solutions, including repairs, slip and fall safety and waterproofing.

Snow, Salt and Dirt: The Winter Trifecta

Keeping winter weather at bay can be challenging, as foot and equipment traffic inevitably tracks various elements inside your building. Let's take a deeper look:

✔ Snow and Mud Tracked Inside:

Melting snow and ice that is carried inside your building can create a slippery surface and pose a hazard. In such cases, it is essential to promptly clean up any mud, snow or standing water to ensure safety. Developing a comprehensive cleaning schedule for your floors can help prevent accidents and maintain safe conditions.

✔ Sodium Chloride (NaCl):

Also known as table salt, is widely employed for de-icing roads, highways, parking lots and sidewalks. Unfortunately, it often finds its way into your building, potentially leading to several issues. Larger salt rocks, combined with dirt and grit carried in on footwear, can result in scratches and abrasions on your commercial floors. Even mildly acidic salts can chemically etch the surface of polished concrete floors, causing them to lose their shine. To mitigate these issues, it is imperative to establish a regular cleaning regimen employing professional-grade cleaners specifically formulated for your type of flooring. For polished concrete floor cleaning guidelines, check out this article. Have urethane floors in your facility? Check out this article for cleaning and maintenance tips.

Your Pavement: Tackling Freeze-Thaw Cycle Damage

Asphalt-based pavements possess a degree of flexibility that allows them to expand in response to high temperatures, reducing the risk of cracking. However, colder temperatures render asphalt more rigid and brittle. Freezing temperatures can cause asphalt to crack, but the situation becomes more complicated when temperatures fluctuate from above freezing to below freezing and back, leading to what are known as freeze-thaw cycles. During these cycles, water from melting snow and ice seeps into small cracks in your pavement. As the water freezes, it expands, making the cracks larger. Over time, these cracks can grow to a point where they render surfaces potentially unsafe or inaccessible to foot traffic, wheelchairs and even vehicles. To address this issue, consider the application of waterproof asphalt coatings for your sidewalks, ramps and parking lots. Furthermore, promptly repair any visible cracks and damage, as the impact of winter weather can cause these issues to worsen over time. Visit this page to delve into commercial floor safety.

Preventing Slip and Fall Accidents and Accessibility Issues

Winter weather goes hand in hand with slippery conditions. Whether we are talking indoors or outdoors, preventing slip and fall accidents is paramount. Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential to achieving this goal. If you notice any damage, the QuestMark Online Shop offers a range of DIY commercial-grade flooring products to help you address them. Moreover, the support team is readily available to assist with any questions, training or to provide onsite product demonstrations. Explore QuestMark's flooring and traffic solutions to maintain your floors and grounds in a safe, clean and ADA-compliant condition during the cold season.

In conclusion, it's crucial to stay proactive and prepared when it comes to winter maintenance of your floors and exterior surfaces. By implementing the suggested strategies and keeping your floor and grounds clean, safe and ADA-compliant, you can navigate the challenges of the cold season with confidence, ensuring the well-being of both your employees and visitors. Need help? Contact us today!