Why DIY Snow Removal is Risky

I know we’re biased, but it’s true – Professional snow removal services are critical, especially in the Mid-Atlantic region, which is a common location for snowstorms to sweep across the area several times every year. It’s a fact of life and property managers must have a plan. There are really just two options for snow removal…

1. Try doing it yourself. This usually means reacting to the storm after it hits and hoping you can dig out enough to continue business or avoid costly slip and fall lawsuits.
2. Hire professional snow and ice management services so you can lower your risk and stay open for business even after huge storms hit.

You cannot just leave the snow there and wait for it to disappear through melting, as that can take a while (i.e., the whole season), and it’s a lot of extra added weight that can negatively affect certain areas with it.

You may even need to snow relocation services to remove or just move piles of snow that don’t melt in a timely manner so they don’t take up valuable parking space or cause accidents due to obstructed views. Without appropriate snow & ice management, several consequences can occur. Let’s deep dive into this further to see the primary threats.

The roads can literally break from snow & ice

Whether on side roads or major highways in the Mid-Atlantic region, roads are most likely made of asphalt or concrete if they are not dirt roads. Asphalt and snow do not go well together, and with that much snow on the asphalt, it can exacerbate potholes and cracks.

As the water melts very slowly, it will get into these cracks and re-freeze in the evening, with the snow helping it along the way. As the ice freezes, it expands and expands the cracks. Imagine several days to weeks of this, and you’ll start noticing in your local municipalities that Ice control has switched to costly damage and repairs.

These issues can also affect open area parking lots and open area drive-ins to business locations, which can cause extensive damage to the roads. They can start being unsafe to those driving and detrimental to the cars themselves. All of this requires the proper planning and ice management to essentially remove this problem or minimize the damage output caused by all that snow and ice.

It will also worsen during the spring and summer months, as there’s heavier road usage causing more wear and tear and thus more road damage throughout the year.

Snow & ice get in the way of business

Without any way to travel on the roads, businesses will suffer as there’s no way for them to have customers reach them, even through delivery and online channels. People cannot leave their homes to get to the office, and retail store locations cannot operate appropriately without snow removal being done right.

Simply hiring professional snow removal services will help clean up those storefronts and highway access points to get people moving again and keep commerce moving in the right direction.

What’s best for snow removal?

First of all, it’s important to note that to avoid the need for any repairs or unsafe conditions, an end-to-end professional snow & ice management service provider needs to be hired long before the storm happens. If you want the very best snow removal services, research and select your provider in spring or summer long before the snow flies.

Hiring a snow contractor last minute can result in losing out on the best contrators who may already be booked up for the season. “Chuck in a Truck” type snow plow companies can do extensive damage to your surfaces and even to the surrounding areas. Therefore, it can lead to unnecessary damage and additional work and costs. On walkways or in parking lot areas, unprofessional or inexperienced snow plow operators can do extensive damage to both landscaping and hardscaping as it can throw harsh ice melt salts on lawns that should never have had it or throw snow and debris onto hardscapes, potentially wearing them down and having them crack after the consistent plowing. Or worse yet, they can hit hardscapes with their plow or dig up lawns.

That’s why even for small areas, it’s better to contact a professional snow and ice management company that would do the same for federal properties, commercial businesses, and industrial companies, as they will have the necessary experience, equipment and know-how to care for your property.

It requires a mix of sidewalk salters and walks behind salters, skid steers, and some good old-fashioned shoveling crews. Finding the correct type of service provider for snow removal comes first, with those as comprehensive as possible. They should also come with various plow types, such as v-plows or box plows, that work differently for different properties and conditions.

Proper ice control services don’t just begin after a snowstorm and end when all the snow has come and gone. It’s more about preparation and maintenance and consistently coming allowing to perform snowplowing services and snow relocation services to literally carry away the snow when it gets too much from anywhere that has pedestrian or vehicle traffic.

Safety first

Another significant concern briefly mentioned above is that snow removal services need to be done primarily for safety reasons. Without proper ice management services, the roads become too slippery to drive, even with good winter tires, and that can lead to unsafe driving conditions and potential accidents.

At the same time, if poor snowplowing services are used, where they just push the snow on top of more snow, the visibility worsens for drivers, making it hard to see the angles, where people might be walking, or cars might be backing up.

That’s why it’s imperative to sign on with a professional snow & ice management company, as not only will they have the right products such as ice melt and rock salt, but they will also have the right equipment from salters to snow blowers heavy-duty trucks.

On top of that, these snowplowing service providers will know exactly how much product to use and which is the right tool for the job to ensure minimal invasiveness to your day-to-day life, combined with maximum efficacy.

If you are located in the Mid-Atlantic region, don’t hesitate to contact Rasevic for a quick quote and services.