On Feb. 6, 2014, CNA hosted its second winter weather preparedness webinar. Cold Weather Preparation 2014 discussed lessons learned from the 2013-14 winter season as well as offers tips to help businesses prepare for the remainder of the year and avoid health and safety issues in years to come.
Over the course of this winter, many parts of the U.S. have witnessed bitter cold temperatures and above-average snowfall as various extreme snowstorms have swept the nation. According to Thomas Gray, risk control consulting director for CNA, snow and freezing temperatures can have a negative impact on many aspects of a business and its employees. In addition to the dangerous road conditions, snow, ice and freezing temperatures can cause structural damage to buildings including roof collapses, power failure, reduced natural gas pressure and sprinkler system freeze-up, which can leave a facility vulnerable in the event of a fire.
By implementing simple steps, Gray says, business owners can protect themselves from unnecessary loss, while ensuring workers safety.
Companies can get started early by planning ahead for snow and ice removal, arranging for constant surveillance of facilities to monitor trouble conditions, monitoring the National Weather Service for storm advisories, having an up-to-date list of all emergency contacts, assigning snow plowing and shoveling duties, installing snow markers near fire hydrants and fire protection control valves located outside, checking facilities for dangerous snow accumulations (particularly on the roof), arranging for emergency generators in case of power loss and a plan for extended utility outages (up to 1 week or more).
Companies can also implement safety polices and procedures to avoid major hazards including roof collapses and sprinkler system freeze-ups.
Working Safely on Snow Covered Roofs
Many roofs are not made to handle the extra weight from snow build-up. If possible, Gray says, business owners should gather data/information about the building’s roof, and inspect its conditions before winter arrives. After snow falls, business owners can clear the roof of snow accumulations, but special caution should be taken, as working on snow-covered roofs poses significant dangers, including serious falls and exposure to extreme cold.
Business owners can help workers work safely on snow-covered roofs through proper training, use of protection and equipment maintenance. CNA offers some guidelines to help business owners implement proper controls to mitigate these risks.
Preventing Sprinkler System Freeze-Ups
Along with snow and freezing conditions, winter brings the danger of impaired fire protection due to water freezing in sprinkler piping, underground mains, gravity suction tanks or fire pumps. Freezing pipes not only runs the risk of fire and damage to the building contents, but may also require expensive repairs to the system. Climates that are seldom associated with cold weather (such as mid-southern USA) are most vulnerable to the freezing of automatic sprinkler systems, so it is important that property owners be alert to unusual climatic changes and be prepared to take preventive measures.
Preventing a sprinkler system freeze-ups will depend heavily on the type of sprinkler system in the facility. Most freeze-ups result from failure to provide adequate heat, while others are caused by doors, windows, cracks, loose siding or similar defects in building maintenance. Generally, keeping the heat at or above 40°F will give the pipes enough cushion to avoid freezing. Building owners/managers should closely and frequently monitor the heating system to make sure that it is delivering heat to all areas of the facility and avoid using open flame to thaw frozen water pipes near combustible materials or combustible building components.
For more information and tips on how to deal with frozen pipes, click here.
More information and winter weather resources are available on the company website.