The Highways Agency covers motorways and major A roads, while Transport for London covers arterial trunk roads in London. The applicable amount of grit is spread on the roads to ensure, as far as possible, that the salinity of any moisture on the roads is sufficient enough to prevent the formation of frost and ice. Will the grit melt snow? To reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow, you need to assess the risk and put in a system to manage it. It is also recommended to re-grit the surface in the evening, not only in advance of peak traffic flows as staff and visitors leave for the day, but also to prevent the ice from re-freezing as evening temperatures fall.

There is no law against people clearing pavements or public spaces. Ministers have repeatedly welcomed "public-spiritedness" and said "common sense" and "benefit of the doubt" should always prevail when considering litigation. A court would have to deem someone as having been "wholly incompetent or irresponsible" for another to successfully sue them for injury. Frost and ice form when water freezes. Grit spread on roads and pedestrian areas mixes with any moisture and creates a saline solution. Saline solutions freeze at a lower temperature than water, so frost and ice doesn't form on the road, even though the temperature is below freezing for water. It's for exactly the same reason why salty sea water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water. The actual freezing point of a saline solution depends on the salinity (strength) of the saline solution.Identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by ice, for example: - building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas and areas constantly in the shade or wet. Put in place a procedure for removing leaves at regular intervals; you might even consider removing the offending bushes or trees altogether. Rain water Salt bins (grit boxes) or grit piles may be provided for use by the public, on a self-help basis, on roads with light traffic or streets which aren’t usually gritted, as long as the necessary criteria are met.

Technically, most pavements are considered highways and so fall under he remit of councils. Decision on which surfaces to treat are based on factors such as how frequently and by how many people they are used, if there are alternative routes that could be used by pedestrians and whether there is a more practical way of clearing them such as community schemes. This depends on a variety of factors. When we know with certainty from the weather forecast that the roads will require gritting, where possible we carry out the gritting treatment in the evening and/or in the morning. Gritting at this time ensures the best performance of the grit. Spreading grit at these times also means the roads are treated in advance of peak traffic flows, before the times where frost and ice will form, and when there will be enough traffic on the roads to help the grit mix with the moisture to form a saline solution. We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared. Grit generously and evenly. Spread the salt generously and evenly over areas that have a high level of footfall, or busy roads using a Salt Spreader. choose if you need to cone off higher risk areas or areas of the car park that are further away from the entrance that are not required.

Training

The Department for Transport carries out regular audits of local authorities to monitor salt levels.

Most of the salt is mined in Cheshire. The main supplier is Salt Union, which can produce 6,000 tonnes per day. Cleveland Potash, in Middlesbrough, produces salt as a by-product of its main operations and usually produces about 3,200 tonnes per day. This year about one in 10 councils have arranged contracts with salt suppliers abroad, but this approach would not be a practical solution for all councils. The 2010 Quarmby Review on Winter Resilience recommend English highways authorities set a ‘winter resilience benchmark' for councils of 12 days/48 runs-worth of salt ahead of each gritting season (October 1 to late March 1). The Department for Transport says these recommendations should be adopted. Snow and ice means wet shoes and boots, which can cause wet patches around the entrances to your business premises. Be sure to place dry Entrance Mats inside the doorways to soak up water and enable people to wipe their feet, and read our blog post on How to Reduce the Risk of Slips, Trips and Falls with Effective Floor Cleaning for more helpful advice. Employers have a duty of care to their employees and customers that might be at risk from hazards and risks related to the employer’s activities. In the case of ice and snow both employees and 3 rd parties (i.e. customers) may need to cross from the public highway onto the Employer’s property where there might be snow, ice or both. A failure to identify this as a risk may leave the employer exposed and employees or 3 rd parties at risk of slipping. Section 41(1A) – "a highway authority is under a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice."You can also find information on the DfI Roads winter service information leaflet. Advice when driving in icy or snowy conditions The grit we use on the roads and pedestrian areas contains Safecote. Safecote is more than 90% pure Sodium Chloride (salt) with the remaining insolubles consisting mainly of Keuper Marl which helps to protect the salt quality. Marl also helps improve friction when salt is used as a highway de-icer. Salt can stop ice forming and cause existing ice or snow to melt. It is most effective when it is ground down, but this will take far longer on pedestrian areas than on roads. Yes. Salt will work at temperatures down to minus 8-10 degrees C. Below that temperature salted roads will still freeze.

It is most effective to distribute grit early in the morning. This is because it’s not only much easier to remove fresh, loose snow but gritting in the morning will ensure the ground is ready ahead of early morning traffic or pedestrians. Dependent solely on the weather, winter service expenditure can vary vastly, making control of budgets very difficult. Given the scale of financial and other resources involved in delivering the Winter Service it is not reasonable either to – provide the service on all parts of the network; ensure running surfaces are kept free of ice or snow at all times, even on the treated parts of the network.When work requires you to travel in these conditions, slippery snow and ice can pose a threat to the safety of your staff and visitors alike, so it’s important that you take precautions to minimise the risk. Under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 (amended in 1984), owners or occupiers of private land are legally required to ensure safe access for staff and visitors, which extends to clearing ice and snow. Department for Infrastructure (DfI) road gritting staff are on standby 24 hours a day to monitor and react according to the weather conditions. Routes to large schools are gritting priorities for councils as they know how important keeping them open is both in terms of continuity of teaching for pupils and avoiding costly and disruptive childcare for parents. It's either the headteacher or the local council which makes the decision to close a school. It is not a decision taken lightly and advice from the emergency services will be considered, as will the weather forecast. Reasons to close a school include dangerous road conditions nearby, a shortage of teacher who can safely make it in or problems with vital supplies such as heating or water. Schools appreciate it can be a huge inconvenience to parents but the safety of pupils and teachers are the primary concern. UK Roads Liaison Group – 'Well-maintained Highways: Code of Practice for Highways Maintenance and Management (2009)'