WINTER ISSUES: MANAGING SEASONAL RISK
The lead up to Christmas is always a busy time for businesses in many aspects. Consequently, site and property maintenance gets frequently overlooked. Yet, now is the critical time to be considering the drainage system and its efficiency in order to mitigate the risk of issues during the prevent challenges occurring when the drainage system will be most active.
Falling temperatures, increased rainfall, and periods of freezing conditions can expose vulnerabilities in addition to creating new issues. Understanding these seasonal risks is essential, not only for preventing disruption, but for maintaining compliance, protecting long-term asset value and preventing unforeseen emergency call-out costs.
Increased surface water
More frequent rainfall, icy mornings and snowfall places additional pressures on the system. When there are blockages or silt build-up, the flow is restricted and causes backlog, resulting in flooding.
Flood water can have huge implications on sites and property. It causes disruption, can damage assets and creates numerous health and safety risks.
Where water sits against structures, it also creates damp, ingress and accelerates deterioration significantly, causing remedial expenses that could have been avoided.
Freezing pipes
Low temperatures can cause water within pipes to freeze, expand, and rupture the system. Burst pipes can occur internally or externally, and both can lead to significant damage.
Beyond the immediate flooding and costly emergency repairs, ruptured pipes can disrupt business operations, compromise building safety, and damage surrounding structures, depending on the severity of the burst.
If left unresolved, they can also lead to damp, mould growth, and long-term infrastructure issues. Taking preventative measures before temperatures drop is crucial to avoiding these risks.
Increased risk of pollution
During winter, contaminants can enter the surface water system more easily as a result of increased run off. Grit, oils and toxins on the surface are more easily washed into the drainage system, but they are not permitted to enter the watercourse.
Oil interceptors are installed to separate and capture these pollutants before they leave the site, preventing contamination. However they should be maintained annually, to ensure they are working correctly. If not, it is a compliance breach and the consequences can include fines and reputational damage.
As the risk of pollution is increased during the winter months, it is vital to ensure the oil interceptors are in good working order in order to prevent contamination.
Winter’s persistent wet conditions can obscure early signs of deterioration. To avoid the risk of unexpected issues occurring, it is best practice to instruct annual maintenance on sites to keep on top of any arising issues before they become a serious problem that requires emergency attention.
Proactively acknowledging any issues that could suggest a problem beneath the surface and instructing a drainage survey will advise if there are any concerning issues and how they can be prevented.
With the legislation around pollution becoming more stringent, and the increase in pollution occurring in the wet weather months. It is also advisable to pay attention to the drainage system to prevent contamination, as well as flooding issues on site.
