Ice Removal – How to Keep the Ice Off of Your Commercial Property This Year

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of winter? It might be the holiday season or the cold weather. Or maybe its the snow, that beautiful white stuff that looks lovely and peaceful when you’re looking at it out the window from inside a warm home. But as soon as we do go outside, that beautiful white powder becomes a hassle, even a hazard and a safety risk.

Snow is synonymous with winter, but snow is not our most significant hazard. And neither is the cold weather, the endless gray days, or the whiteout snowstorms. The most significant risk in the wintertime is ice. Let’s have a brief discussion on the dangers of ice and what Smart Scapes LLC can do for you to reduce ice risks this winter.

THE RISK OF ICE – A SERIOUS HAZARD FOR EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS ALIKE

Every winter, more people slip and fall on the ice than in the snow. When someone falls on the ice, they’ll likely get hurt, possibly even seriously injured. Studies show that ice buildup, of all the winter weather hazards that Jack Frost throws at us, is responsible for more accidents, injuries, car accidents, damage to homes, and collateral damage than any other winter weather hazard.

Before we talk about how Smart Scapes LLC protects commercial properties from the risk of ice, let’s take a look at some hard facts on snow and ice hazards. The following information was culled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (citations included at the end of this page):

About one million Americans are injured due to falls every year. The risks and prevalence of fall-related injuries increase drastically during the winter months.
Fall injuries due to snow and ice are a drain on businesses. In 2014, 42,480 workplace injuries from ice or snow resulted in at least one day off of work to recuperate. So that means that 42,480 days of work were lost due to falls in the snow or on the ice alone. That means that 116 years of work days were lost across the United States just because of slip and fall hazards.
From 1990 to 2006, about 195,000 Americans were treated for injuries sustained as a direct result of falling on ice or snow while merely attempting to shovel ice and snow.

There is a risk even in just going outside in the wintertime, and that risk is significantly increased if one is trying to clear snow and ice on their own or if one is trying to work or commute in such conditions. But what if you could avoid all of that risk? What if you could significantly reduce risk and all but guarantee that your employees and customers would be safe on your business’s property? That is where Smart Scapes LLC comes into play to reduce the risk of ice hazards.

ICE REMOVAL AND DEICING SERVICES – REDUCING RISK IN THE WINTERTIME

Though ice removal and deicing services are easy enough to forget about until the winter is upon us, these are essential services that businesses need to have arranged before the first snow flies. When people think of ice removal or deicing services, they think of endless bags of driveway salt. A lot of people will try a DIY ice elimination process.

But what about when you own a commercial property, a franchise, a small box store, maybe a bank building, pharmacy, dental office, veterinary office, retail store, hair salon, or gym? All of a sudden, you have a large parking lot, entryways, sidewalks, driveways, handicapped entrances, drive-throughs, and other paved surfaces. Just like that, snow and ice removal becomes too large a task, too time-consuming (and too backbreaking) for you to address on your own.

Smart Scapes LLC has a staff of snow and ice removal technicians, highly skilled experts who understand how inclement weather works, how to address it, even how to apply preventative measures to maximize risk reduction efforts. Our technicians can come onto a commercial property and use a variety of skill sets to address whatever that property needs. From immediate deicing and snow removal to preventative measures, to clearing sidewalks, entryways, patios, and walking paths, our team is fully equipped and ready to protect your commercial property from ice this winter.

THE RISK OF ICE DAMS – THE NEED FOR ICE DAM REMOVAL AND ICE DAM PREVENTION

Treating ice via immediate ice removal and ice prevention pretreatments becomes all the more essential when we learn about the threat of ice dams. You may have observed ice dams on your property, these terrible build ups of frozen water, usually above head level, that pose a risk that only becomes worse as the winter months wear on. Here again, Smart Scapes LLC comes to the rescue with ice dam removal and ice dam prevention services.

Where do you look when you’re worried about ice? Down. And that makes sense because ice collects on the ground. But what about the ice above your head? The ice that is building up in the valleys and on the eaves of your roof, posing a risk to you, your employees, and your customers? Ice dams are the result of heat escaping a building through the roof, which then causes the snow on the roof to melt. That water flows off the roof, but when night falls and temperatures drop, the water freezes before it can escape the roof. Such creates an ice buildup at the edge of the roof, an immediate risk and a potentially lethal danger for anyone below.

Smart Scapes LLC addresses ice dams by sending technicians to your property, experts who are fully equipped to tackle ice dam removal and ice dam prevention. Our technicians will assess any ice dams your commercial building might have and then remove those dams with a combination of eco-friendly deicing solvents, physical tools, and a great deal of caution and skill. Once the ice dams are removed, our team will apply pretreatments to your roof to prevent the future buildup of ice. All of the products we use are eco-friendly, like green ice melt and environmentally-conscious deicer products. You can rest easy knowing you are not harming the environment in your effort to reduce and remove this severe safety hazard.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR ICE DAM REMOVAL AND ICE DAM PREVENTION

Ready to hire Smart Scapes LLC for ice dam removal and ice dam prevention? Here are two, quick tips for getting your property ready for our technicians:

Be sure that all vehicles are removed from your property before our arrival. And we make this step easy for you, as our technicians usually service properties very early in the morning before regular business hours would commence. Just make sure no vehicles are left in your business’s parking lot or driveway overnight!
We use high tech equipment to address and remove ice and snow, so be sure the entryway to your property is open and accessible to our team. If there is a gated entry to your property, make sure our technicians have access to the gate codes or keys.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are you interested in signing up for snow and ice removal this season? Curious to learn more about our process? We get quite a few questions about this service. Customers ask questions like, “Snow removal services near me? Where can I find that?” or “Who is the best snow plow service near me?” We hope to be the company you choose for this service, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Here are some of the most common questions we get asked and their answers:

What kind of rock salt do you use for deicing?
We don’t use rock salt. It’s harmful and corrosive to the environment and vehicles, so we use eco-friendly deicing agents like potassium/sodium chloride.
How do you know when to send technicians to my property?
We have extensive, advanced tech at our facility that uses GPS tracking and weather monitoring programs to receive constant updates on inclement weather patterns all across the regions that we service. If your property is even forecasted to receive snow or ice, we’ll be the first to know about it.
When can I expect your snow plow on my property?
We offer regular service to our clients, so depending on the weather, we may service your property more than once in the same day. But our standard is to visit properties in the very early morning, between 5 and 8 a.m., to ensure the property is serviced before business hours commence.
Do I need to be present when you send technicians over?
No. As long as our crew can access your property, they can take care of all of your snow and ice removal needs without bothering you or any of your staff or customers. We’ll do our best to keep your property clear of ice and snow around the clock, seven days a week.

Image a winter where you can enjoy all of the great things about the cold and snowy months, but without the hassle, danger, and constant, nagging risk of ice buildups, ice dams, black ice, and icicles. Call Smart Scapes LLC today to make that dream a reality this winter. Our friendly office staff can be reached at (615)437-5520. We’ll be happy to answer any other questions you might have about our ice removal services.

Source Citations:

https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/42480-work-injuries-involved-ice-sleet-or-snow-in-2014.htm