Businesses need to be on their guard through the winter and must do all in their powers to reduce the chances of employees or members of the public slipping on ice or snow, though they should also note that, if they have cleared snow and ice away from public areas responsibly, it is unlikely that they will find legal action being taken against them.

There are some points that businesses, along with other organisations or bodies which are responsible for public areas, should bear in mind. Firstly, and this is also true of private homeowners who are trying to clear snow and ice away from their drive, whoever is doing the job should make sure that they do not make the situation worse. That is they should not make the pathways more dangerous by causing them to refreeze.

1. If possible they should start clearing the area of snow in the morning as, at that time the snow is more likely to be loose, rather than hard and compact. Getting rid of the top layer may not seem to be that useful but it will enable the sun to get to work on the ice beneath it and, at nightfall salt or grit can be applied to stop the area refreezing overnight.
2. Using hot water to clear ice may seem logical to some, as it does make an immediate difference, however it will actually make the situation worse as the water, in freezing temperatures, is more than likely to refreeze into black ice, making the path even more treacherous than it was before. Spreading salt on the area is the best option but if there’s none available, sand or ash can be used. This will not stop the ground freezing over again but it will assist in giving pedestrians walking over it a better grip.
3. When clearing the area of snow, also be careful to put it in an area that doesn’t simply cause another blockage. So if clearing a path for instance, clear the area in the middle so that there is a path to walk safely on, while making sure that snow taken away from this area isn’t causing a blockage of any kind elsewhere.

Businesses in particular have to obey the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 which state that so far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and also every traffic route should be free from obstruction and anything that may cause a person to slip, trip or fall. So an employer is under a duty to help people, whilst on their premises, to be as free as possible from any threats of slips or trips.

The responsibilities on the part of the employer are stated more definitively in the Approved Code of Practice, which are part of the regulations which state that action should be taken to minimise the risks from snow and ice and it includes examples of actions that can be done to achieve this, such as gritting, snow clearing and closing off some routes or items that pose a particular risk.

It further adds that paths which are used frequently, such as a path from the car park to the reception area should take priority and always be as free from snow and ice as possible while others areas, which people rarely walk on, do not need to be fully clear of snow.