Snow & Ice Removal – Tips for Hiring a Contractor
Having formal snow and ice removal procedures in place can help reduce slip and fall injuries related to winter weather conditions. Selecting the right contractor to assist in-house personnel with snow and ice removal is an important step in preventing employee injuries from slips, trips and falls on sidewalks and parking lots.
The following checklist contains tips and considerations for selecting a snow and ice removal contractor:
Details / Completed (Y/N)Check the references of contractors you are considering. Talk with other local companies on the performance of the contractors they use.
Verify the contractors have appropriate insurance coverages. Obtain their certificates of insurance and discuss with your insurance agent.
Review the contents of any contract with your company’s legal counsel.
- Does it outline the terms and conditions under which snow and ice removal is initiated?
- Does it summarize the areas of the property where snow and ice removal will or will not be completed (i.e. steps, sidewalks, building entrances, etc.)? (You may wish to have in-house personnel be responsible for some sections of the property).
How do they monitor weather conditions and severe weather alerts?
- Does the contractor make periodic inspections and respond automatically at certain levels of snowfalls?
- How quickly could they respond to your calls or to changing weather conditions, such as freezing rain, that requires immediate application of an ice-melt material?
- Do they clear out snow only after the storm or during the snowfall as well?
- Does the contractor have appropriate equipment available to effectively clear your parking areas, especially after heavy snow falls or intense snow storms?
Consider your operations work schedule – are you a one-shift operation or a 24/7 operation?
- Check the availability of contractors to plow. Can they have the lot cleared before employees arrive to work in the morning?
- Consider how they will clean the parking areas if cars come and go during different shifts through the day?
- Discuss their ability to remove snow that may accumulate in the parking lot around parked cars?
What type of surface treatment materials or salt does the contactor use based on temperature, weather conditions and type of surface present, such as asphalt or concrete? (For more information on Surface Treatments, refer to our Ice Melting Compounds reference document.)
How many years has the contractor been in the snow removal and salt treatment business? How many customers do they have in your area?
Are they a local contractor? Where is their base of operations?
Do they mark the grounds, curbs and sidewalks? Where will they push and stage the snow piles?
- Consider sight lines for traffic and pedestrians traveling in the parking lot. Will snow piles obstruct visibility?
- Consider freeze-thaw runoff from the snow piles. As the snow melts, will this drain across the parking lot, refreeze and create possible icy spots?
- How are drains maintained?
Obtain written quotes from several contractors to review the estimated costs. Know what services are included or excluded. Are the fees based on each service call or cover a general timeframe such as weekly or monthly?
LC-2140c Rev. 06/16 Page | 1