Introduction
Use this pre-season planning checklist to make sure your sites are ready before the first flake falls. A clear plan reduces liability, speeds response times, and keeps your winter budget predictable.
Key Points
- Verify scope, service levels, and site priorities with your contractor.
- Confirm trigger depths, zero-tolerance areas, and sidewalk coverage.
- Stage salt/brine and mark snow-stacking and hauling locations.
- Update site maps, contacts, and after-hours access instructions.
- Test communications: storm alerts, approval workflows, and photo logs.
Practical Advice
Start by aligning service levels to risk. Flag zero-tolerance zones like main entrances, ADA stalls, and loading docks—then set a trigger depth for lower-risk areas. Share annotated site maps so crews know where to stage snow and where to avoid piling.
Next, confirm materials and temperature thresholds. For example, brine for anti-icing above ~15°F pavement temps, and salt/calcium blends for deep freezes. Make sure your contractor has supply on hand and a back-up in case of supply chain constraints.
Finally, run a storm rehearsal. Exchange contacts, agree on arrival/finish logs, and define what photo evidence gets attached to invoices. A 15-minute tabletop exercise in October prevents confusion at 3 a.m. in January.
Conclusion
Download the checklist and walk the site with your contractor to close any gaps before the season begins.
Show technical details
Technical Overview
- Forecast inputs (plain-English). Contractors combine public weather feeds with private models and pavement-temperature sensors to decide between anti-icing (brine) and de-icing (salt/blends).
- Dispatch logic. Sites are grouped by priority windows—store open/close, shift changes—so high-risk zones are serviced first and revisited for touch‑ups.
- Service logs. Expect arrival/finish times, materials used, estimated rates, and photos. This creates an audit trail for slip‑and‑fall claims.
- Why site maps matter. Maps encode stacking areas, no‑pile zones, hydrants, and ADA paths to prevent damage and speed work in low visibility.