Prepare, prevent, react: be ready for winter

Sleet, snow and ice will be here soon, and, as in recent years, many municipalities will have to do more with less due to lean budgets, smaller staffs and aging equipment.

For these reasons, it’s more important than ever to focus on safety and accident prevention to minimize insurance claims, reduce productivity losses, and limit the exposure of residents and employees to risk.

The following steps will help make the winter season safer and more manageable:

Prepare
It’s important to conduct roof inspections in the fall, before snow flies.

First, inspect and clear drains and gutters of blockages caused by leaves, animals and debris so that rain and melting snow can flow freely. Clean gutters help to reduce the chance of ice dams and snow buildup that can cause roofs to collapse.

It’s also a good idea to calculate the snow loads for roofs of municipal buildings. Information can be found in 780 CMR Commercial Mass. State Building Code, Table 1604.11 (www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/dps/8th-edition/16-structural-design.pdf). Ground snow loads range from 45 lbs. to 65 lbs. per horizontal square-foot depending on the community and its zone. Each community should have a plan for reducing snow loads on flat and pitched roofs.

Accumulated snow should be removed promptly, before it jeopardizes the integrity of any roof. Shoveling is the preferred method of snow removal. If snow blowers are used, the skid should be raised one inch to prevent damage to the roof membrane.

Lastly, be sure to learn and recognize the signs of overloaded roofs, such as creaking sounds, sagging and bowing trusses.

Heating system management is another important preparation. In an effort to save money on heating, many facilities (especially schools) will turn their thermostats way down during long holiday breaks and vacations. These extended periods without heat, however, can cause a building’s pipes to freeze. This is often unknown until the heat is turned up again to warm the building, which then causes the pipes to expand and burst, thus delaying opening and requiring time-consuming cleanup and costly repairs.

Thermostats should be kept at no less than 55 degrees, and buildings with long heating line runs should consider a 60-degree setting.

Maintenance staff should also insulate pipes and check for appropriate levels of anti-freeze (glycol) in heating lines to prevent freeze-ups.

Prevent
Keeping residents and municipal employees safe and healthy is another priority. While many cities and towns use snowblowers and plows to clear snow, a surprising number also still use snow shovels. Such labor-intensive work can result in injury and illness.

MIIA’s website, emiia.org, offers information on shoveling techniques to avoid back injuries, muscle strains and hypothermia. (Click the “Property & Casualty” tab, scroll down the pull down menu to “Risk Management,” and click on “Publications.”)

Dehydration is also a potential problem, so those who shovel should be sure to stay hydrated and avoid caffeine and nicotine for 15 minutes prior to shoveling.

Of course anyone with known heart conditions or other physical ailments should not be tasked with shoveling.

Communities also need to be careful to prevent injuries caused by slips and falls on snow and ice.

In 2010, the Supreme Judicial Court issued a decision that changed the measures for liability for injuries resulting from such mishaps. In the case, Papadopoulos v. Target, the SJC ruled that property owners must ensure that “reasonable care” is taken to keep walkways safe from an “unnatural” accumulation of snow or ice. In this instance, “unnatural” refers to snow accumulated in an area due to being placed there by a plow or shovel – as opposed to “natural accumulation,” which is where the snow landed when it fell from the sky.

In this case, Target plowed its parking lot after a storm, but the resulting snow bank melted and then re-froze and the plaintiff slipped on the ice. The SJC decided that the property owner should have been aware of and eliminated the hazard.

The end result of this case is that snow removal is now a foreseeable hazard for which a property owner can be held liable. With this in mind, municipalities and schools are advised to review their snow removal plans to ensure that they are current, thorough and represent an attempt to provide reasonable care for the use of all facilities.

React
Auto claims resulting from snowplow damage account for the majority of the MIIA insurance pool’s auto coverage losses. Driver fatigue is a major contributor to these incidents.

Since most storms are forecasted, municipal managers should make sure drivers get plenty of rest in advance. Additionally, supervisors should limit drivers’ shifts to 16 hours per day, with at least an eight-hour break in between shifts.

Only essential public safety and public works personnel should use municipal vehicles during and immediately following a snowstorm. And those drivers should always take it slowly and safely.

With heavy and frequent snowfalls, snowplows will also inevitably hit mailboxes, fences or other private property. If snowplowing operations are outsourced to a private contractor, the municipality should make sure to get a copy of their general liability insurance certificate in advance of work. It’s also a good idea to request an endorsement naming the city or town as “additional insured” to prevent the city or town from being listed as a responsible party.

If a city or town’s snowplow damages private property, the municipality is responsible, but if the plow is moving snow and the pushed snow damages the property (without the plow striking it), the municipality would not be liable for any damage caused.

More information, including loss control seminar topics and training guides on snowplow, snowblower and shoveling safety, can be found at www.emiia.org.