Snow Stacking is the standard way of storing snow during the winter. An alternative way is to haul the snow away, but that’s an expensive alternative we’ll talk about in another post.
So, if it’s the standard way, it’s a straightforward process. Wrong! Snow stacking can become quite large on commercial properties, so significant planning must be done before the season even determines the best place to store it. In last month’s post, BE AWARE OF BLACK ICE!, we explained that black ice is formed when the snow melts and re-freezes, increasing the risk of slip-and-fall accidents — and you don’t want that on your property!!!
Additional problems with large piles of snow are that it can get hard and damage equipment, it can take unnecessary parking space or block handicap ramps, walkways, or fire hydrants. So careful pre-season planning is necessary.So, what do we look at when we’re prescreening our client’s commercial properties to determine where we’ll stack snow that season?
- We walk the site with our clients to understand where the client wants to have the snow stacked.
- We review where drains, fire hydrants, mailboxes, electric boxes, dumpsters, and handicap ramps are located to ensure we’re not obstructing it.
- The snow stack can get pretty large, so we look for a place where it won’t obstruct the driver’s view of the traffic.
- We look for a place near drains, so the water has a place to go when it starts melting.
- The bottom line is that snow stacking is a matter of common sense. It will never be placed near the entrance of a building, for example. However, if not planned correctly, it can become an issue during the high season.