Snow Removal- Property Manager Responsibilities And Liabilities

With winters come dreadful weather and hazardous driving conditions. Snow not only causes chaos but can be dangerous if left untreated. It is the responsibility of the property manager to ensure that no slip and fall mishap takes place on the premises. Getting rid of the snow and ice and choosing the best salt and chloride-free ice melt is one of the most important jobs for facility managers. 

Ice melts are available in different forms and chemical combinations. Choosing the best ice melt for your business is not an easy feat. Therefore, in this article, we will help you make the right ice melt for your facility. We will also share tips that you can follow as a property manager.

Choosing Between Salt And Chloride-free Ice Melt

It is no secret that salt is nothing but sodium chloride and can damage your property and concrete. Talking about ice melts, there are many different varieties of ice melt products on the market, each with its own set of qualities and pricing. We can broadly categorize them into chloride-based and chloride-free ice melt. Chloride-based ice melt may seem cheaper but proves to be highly damaging for property and machinery.

Chlorides are highly corrosive and can damage the concrete and other surfaces after prolonged use. Moreover, they can corrode machinery and vehicles. Hence, a safer choice is chloride-free, natural ice melt.

Safe Thaw, a 100% eco-friendly ice melt, comprises modified carbonyl diamide crystals, special glycols, proprietary traction agents, and other natural ingredients. Safe Thaw is formulated to perform under challenging weather conditions and is chloride-free and salt-free. Once the crystals hit the icy surface, they leach out a deicing liquid that speeds up the melting process. It penetrates snow and ice’s molecular structure and does not allow it to refreeze. Since the granules destabilize the ice, it helps keep the business premises ice-free for more extended periods, thus increasing footfall and avoiding any untoward incident. 

Using Industrial Ice Melt Properly

Using the industrial ice melt properly is also another important job of a property manager. Make sure you’re not using excessive ice melt. Too much ice melt application does not speed snow removal. Instead, it damages the surfaces, environment and results in product wastage. In addition, each ice melt product is different.

Apart from this, you must ensure that you’ve read all the important instructions mentioned on the product before using it. 

Use a portable fertilizer spreader for small areas and a walk-behind spreader for more extensive areas instead of a scoop or shovel. It will help the ice melt to be distributed evenly. 

Apply At The Appropriate Time

Ice melt should be used before precipitation freezes or when the snow is cleared. After the ice melt has done its job, shoveling the slush layer from walkways helps prevent substantial damage from water absorption and excessive thaw cycles. 

Conclusion

If your business premise is in an area where there is a lot of snow, snow removal becomes a crucial element of maintaining your structure in excellent repair. Before winter arrives, make sure your property is in good shape and establish a plan for where all that snow will go. You can use the best ice melt but do ensure that it has a long shelf-life, unlike chlorides.

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