Commercial snow removal is one of the most dreaded winter chores, but we have a few tips to make it less of a headache.
Invest in a good shovel. It’s tempting to get the cheapest shovel, but paying a little extra is usually worth the money. Thousands of people end up in the ER each year from residential and commercial snow removal accidents, and a lot of them have to do with using the wrong shovel. Don’t get a shovel that is too big. You may think bigger will help you remove snow faster, but the repeated motion of heavy lifting is often enough to cause back muscle soreness and could even lead to bigger back injuries that could land you in the hospital. Look for a mid-size shovel. An S-shaped shovel is ideal for removing wet, heavy snow. A C-shaped shovel is better for pushing and removing light, fluffy snow.- Mark the outline of your parking lot and sidewalks with stakes. This may seem unnecessary at first, but when the snow piles up, it’s hard to distinguish where the landscaping ends and the sidewalk begins. This is especially important if you hire a commercial snow removal service. They likely service hundreds of properties each season, each one with a different layout, and they aren’t going to remember your particular property. Help them out and save your landscaping from any damage by staking out the perimeter.
Invest in a good shovel. It’s tempting to get the cheapest shovel, but paying a little extra is usually worth the money. Thousands of people end up in the ER each year from residential and commercial snow removal accidents, and a lot of them have to do with using the wrong shovel. Don’t get a shovel that is too big. You may think bigger will help you remove snow faster, but the repeated motion of heavy lifting is often enough to cause back muscle soreness and could even lead to bigger back injuries that could land you in the hospital. Look for a mid-size shovel. An S-shaped shovel is ideal for removing wet, heavy snow. A C-shaped shovel is better for pushing and removing light, fluffy snow.- Shovel throughout the storm. It’s much easier to remove a few inches of snow compared to a whole foot. If you shovel every couple of hours during a storm, the work will be easier and go quicker. If you wait until the end of a storm and there is significant snow build-up, don’t try to remove the snow all at once. You should remove a few inches at a time to keep your back safe from injury.
- Avoid piling snow near your building. If you pile snow around your building’s foundation, it could lead to frozen pipes and damage to the foundation. These are costly repairs, so be sure to pile your snow as far from the structure as you can.
If you want to avoid the headache of commercial snow removal entirely, give us a call, and we can sign you up for our commercial snow removal service.
