4 Tips To Prevent Slips And Falls In Your Parking Lot This Winter
You never want to hear about one of your customers getting hurt on your property, and you probably know that there is a greater chance of this happening during the winter. Although there is no fool-proof way to prevent people from slipping and falling when it is icy and snowy outside, there are ways that you can help keep everyone safe.
1. Repair Your Parking Lot
First of all, you should take an honest look at your parking lot to see if there are any cracks, potholes or other imperfections that could make the parking lot unstable. If you find any, you should call a parking lot asphalt paving company (such as one from Loflin's Paving) to come out and make the necessary repairs. Not only will repairing your parking lot help prevent the problem from getting worse, but it can also help prevent trips and falls. Uneven parking lot surfaces can make falls more likely, and this is even truer when snow and ice is on the ground; then, it's more slippery, and it's also more difficult to see these imperfections when walking.
2. Have Your Parking Lot Scraped
Don't skimp out on parking lot scraping. Even though it can be expensive, it is an unfortunate cost of business during the winter months. Make sure that you hire a company that will do a good job and that will remove all of the ice and snow instead of just the top layer.
3. Use Rock Salt
If you know that there is a chance that it will snow, go ahead and distribute rock salt all over your parking lot. Parking lots can become slippery almost instantly after it starts snowing, so you might not have time to wait until someone shows up to plow the area. Using rock salt will help provide traction for your customers and will also help prevent the ice from sticking as much, which will make plowing easier.
4. Think About the Entrance
Don't just think about slips and falls in the parking lot. You also have to worry about people falling inside your business due to the ice and snow that has been tracked in. Keep a sturdy mat at the entrance of your business, and use "wet floor" signs to warn customers of the slippery conditions. Also, make it a point to mop your floors several times per day to help get rid of as much water as possible.