Preventative Winter Maintenance Checklist for Commercial Buildings

Preventative winter maintenance is essential now that the British winter is on the way, so now is the time for facilities and building managers to ensure that the buildings they manage are prepared for winter. Building maintenance and repair is essential all year around, but winter weather especially can cause havoc to buildings, especially if you’re not prepared. Winter weather brings rain, snow, ice and freezing temperatures, all of which can cause havoc to both buildings and budgets.

Our preventative winter maintenance checklist for commercial buildings will help you ensure that the commercial buildings and structures you manage remain safe and secure during the harsh winter months.

This year, we’ve prepared a preventative winter maintenance checklist for commercial buildings so you can ensure the structures you manage don't fall foul of the winter weather.

As the days grow shorter and darker, the need for reliable lighting for both safety and security purposes grows. Replacing damaged bulbs in outside lighting, cleaning signage and testing and checking security cameras are just a few small tasks that should be factored into your maintenance schedule.

For non standard structures, including tensile fabric canopies and ETFE roofs, bolt inspections are incredibly important to consider. They play an important part in both structural integrity and worker safety so regular checks are necessary, especially in areas which are prone to collecting snow or ice which can add a significant amount of weight and stress to a structure.

We all know that British winter often brings long periods of driving rain! This can lead to leaking window frames or existing cracks in glazing or frames getting worse. Regular inspection of the condition of your windows and window frames should be planned into building maintenance checks so that concerns can be dealt with before they become a major headache.

Leaks are usually the most frequent call-out for our maintenance teams during the winter months. Dealing with problems quickly and efficiently is essential and our rope access teams provide a fast and responsive solution. With no need for costly scaffolding and aerial work platforms, rope access provides a particularly cost-effective and versatile option for hard to access areas.

Winter weather brings an increase in heavy rain, storm debris and fallen leaves, resulting in slippery surfaces, especially at height, so ensuring that roofs are equipped with a suitable fall protection is essential. Annual checks and inspections of any existing roof safety equipment will help to ensure fall protection systems remain fully compliant with the latest regulations and standards. Any planned maintenance, repairs, or replacements can then take place in a timely manner.

A simple way to check that your building’s gutters are effectively catching all the rainwater flowing from the roof is to look at it when it rains. In particular, joints and hoppers can be areas where vegetation and debris can collect causing blockages and resulting in water ingress and leaks. Drains should also be cleared of debris regularly to ensure that any run off is removed effectively.

Powerful winter storms and strong winds can damage roofs so it is important to ensure that your roof doesn’t have any dislodged, weak or loose roof tiles. Repair or replace any that are of concern as this is not only a potential source of leaks, but also a health and safety risk for employees, customers and visitors.

Winter weather related repairs can’t always be prevented (or predicted), but ensuring that the condition of your structure is as good as possible can, in many cases, help to prevent more significant damage from occurring.

Identifying recurring problems which tend to happen every winter is a great way to start. For example, are specific gutters or drains more susceptible to getting blocked with leaves and vegetation? Or have any maintenance jobs had to be postponed due to budget constraints? If so, then it is vital to keep a record of areas to prioritise, along with any postponed maintenance and a plan to address any backlog.

Scheduling regular structural examinations throughout the year helps to identify problem areas and enables building and facilities managers to develop a plan of what repairs are required, when they should take place and what resources may be required.

Now is the time to complete any outstanding preventative winter maintenance and repairs and ensure that your building is secure, weathertight and structurally sound.

To discuss your preventative winter maintenance regime or planned preventative maintenance (PPM) requirements, please contact our team, who will be happy to help.