Colder seasons can bring a whole slew of maladies to your warehouse and its productivity: snow packed on the roof that has to be shoveled off, blocked roadways preventing your hauling trucks from importing or exporting inventory, and icy parking lots that can cause slips, falls, and nasty vehicular accidents. Falls on the ice alone account for thousands of patients in hospitals and can be costly to your business in loss of employees due to injury and having to pay out workers compensation and other expenses. To keep your warehouse parking lot safe, use these tips before they freeze.

Sweep water before it freezes

If you are in a rainy or wintry season, make sure to sweep your parking lot and entryways to rid areas of water that will freeze at night. A salt deicer can be placed near doors and on sidewalks to prevent people slipping and falling on ice that accumulates with even a small amount of moisture and a decent temperature drop.

Create friction at loading docks

As you move inventory in and out of your warehouse, you will want to create friction in areas where vehicles are constantly driving. A sand sprayer can coat your entire parking lot with the gritty substance to create a safer driving surface for cars and equipment to navigate around your parking lot. Special attention should be paid to loading docks where slush can pile up, creating deep grooves that can freeze later and make driving on them dangerous.

Melt ice as it forms

A deicer, such as a rock salt combination, should be applied to your parking lot a few times a month to help minimize the amount of ice that builds up on your warehouse's property. You can hire the city to send out a deicing truck that can spray the entire parking lot with an even coating of deicer, or you can have employees coat thick areas of ice on your own. As the ice melts, you will want to have it shoveled out into appropriate drainage systems to prevent the deicer and its ingredients from getting on vehicles and to prevent further water buildup.

You want your parking lot to be as safe as possible for your warehouse equipment and employees throughout the year. Invest in deicing equipment to help manage the slick surfaces you are likely to encounter as the season gets colder. Buying deicer in bulk from a wholesaler can save you the most money and also allow you to have enough supplies in storage for when you need them. Contact a company like GMCO Corporation to learn more.