Estates & Facilities Management

Snow, Ice and Leaves Clearance Policy

V8 October 2017

Estates Division

Estates and Facilities Management

Headington Campus

Gipsy Lane

Headington

Oxford

OX3 0BP

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Leaves, Snow and Ice

Clearance Policy

For the Directorate of Estates

and Facilities Management

Contents:

Section 1 Introduction

Section 2 Responsibilities

Section 3 Procedures

Appendix A Site record sheets

Author Gordon Langford Estates H&S Officer ……………………………..

Accepted by Sue Holmes Director, Estates and Facilities Management

……………………………..

Adrian Stokes Deputy Director Estates ……………………………..

Harmohinder Bahl Deputy Director Facilities And Community Services ……………………………..

Tim McGill University Safety Manager ……………………………..

Change control details and review history

Version Number

Date Change details Changed by

7 08/12/15 Updates to post holders and record sheets

G.Langford

8 27/09/17 Update to names of post holders Updating of record sheets

G.Langford

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1. Introduction

1.1 The purpose of this Policy is to document the areas of responsibility and actions to be taken when preparing for the autumn and winter seasons during periods of leaf fall and of snow and ice.

1.2 During periods of leaf fall and of snow and ice there is a high risk of personal injury to students, staff and visitors to the University through slips and falls. In accordance with the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare Act) Regulations 1992, the University has a responsibility, so far as is reasonably practicable, to keep its paths, roadways and parking areas in a safe condition, reasonably clear of leaves, snow and ice and to minimises the risk to students, staff and visitors as they move around the estate.

2. Responsibilities

2.1 Site Managers and Residence Managers, with the support of the Grounds Manager, shall take reasonable steps to ensure that designated paths, roadways and parking areas within their respective locations are kept reasonably clear so as to minimise the risk of trips and falls during periods of leaf shedding and cold and frosty weather.

2.2 The Grounds Manager shall be responsible for liaising with Site Managers and Residence Managers by providing their assistance and resource in carrying out these tasks.

2.3 Students, staff and visitors have a responsibility for their own safety whilst moving around the estate and should take extra care during periods of adverse weather and leaf fall.

2.4 At all times, the safety of students, staff and visitors on sites is paramount. All reasonable efforts should be made to ensure the University remains operational as normal.

2.5 This policy document should be read in conjunction with the University Health and Safety Manual and other relevant Estates and Facilities Management policy and procedure documents.

3 Procedures

3.1 The clearance of paths, roadways and parking areas shall be prioritised according to the risk assessment of the respective areas. Priority shall be given to main entrances, roadways leading to parking areas and paths, including steps and access slopes, leading to and between buildings.

3.2 Weather forecasts shall be monitored by the University Safety Manager and the Grounds Manager, particularly between November and March, for advanced indications of adverse weather conditions likely to affect the University estate. Severe weather warnings shall be circulated between stakeholders to enable adequate preparation plans to be implemented.

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3.3 When weather forecasts predict snowfall or icy conditions, designated areas will normally be treated with a salt and grit. Snow and ice shall be cleared as soon as reasonably practicable and maintained clear throughout the day wherever possible. Roadways will be cleared from the main entrances inwards, unless the frost and ice is specifically isolated to one area. To the best of all staff abilities, this action will be completed as soon as practical on any given day, however this cannot be guaranteed dependant on staff availability and the severity of weather conditions.

3.4 Paths, roadways and parking areas will continue to be treated and cleared as required and wherever possible throughout the day while temperatures remain below freezing during a period of adverse weather.

3.5 Adequate recourses, including salt/grit stocks and clearing/spreading equipment shall be established and co-ordinated by the Grounds Manager in readiness for the anticipated adverse weather season.

3.6 Despite the high level of service provided in achieving the objectives of this policy, there can be no guarantees that all paths and roadways will always be completely clear of leaves, ice or snow for various reasons, including:

3.6.1 Further leaves may fall shortly after a pathway has been cleared;

3.6.2 The time it takes for salt to cause the snow to melt;

3.6.3 Rain can wash salt off paths and roadways leaving them prone to re-icing;

3.6.4 In periods of very severe weather, below -8oC salt treatment of paths and roadways will become ineffective;

3.6.5 If frost follows rain, a rapid fall in temperature can occur and isolated areas could re-ice due to the time salt treatment becomes effective.

3.7 Site Managers, Residences Managers and the Grounds Manager shall ensure that records are kept detailing where, when and by whom leaf or snow and ice clearance work took place and, in relation to snow clearance, which methods had been used. On each occasion of clearance work, site plans, Appendix A, will be marked up, by ticking the appropriate boxes, to indicate which routes are cleared. The plans are available in Google Drive. These records shall be kept for a minimum of three years. These records shall be made available on request by the University Safety Manager and used to review the effectiveness of this procedure and to identify any improvements deemed necessary.

3.8 In the event of very adverse conditions, The Site Manager, Residence Manager or Grounds Manager may arrange for barriers or similar devices to be deployed on certain routes to prevent them being used until they can be made safe.

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3.9 If there is a heavy fall of snow overnight, the Security Supervisor shall contact the respective Duty Facilities Manager and Duty Residence Manager to advise them of the situation; they, following their own assessment, will, if appropriate, contact the Deputy Director of Facilities and Commercial Services. In the event that they cannot be contacted, this should be escalated to the Director of Estates and Facilities Management or a member of the Senior Management Team to advise them of the specific site conditions and discuss the next course of action to be taken. This may include the possibility of imposing a temporary restriction to access to some parts of the University sites.

3.10 Where a decision has been taken to impose such a restriction, the senior member of staff making that decision should contact and advise the Senior Management Team, Deans of Faculties and Directors of Directorates and the University Communications Officer to make the appropriate announcements to the University via the web site, the local media or any other means deemed appropriate.

3.11 The safety of staff engaged in leaf, snow and ice clearance operations and students, staff and visitors using the paths, roadways and parking areas is paramount. Any accident, no matter how trivial it may seem, should be reported to the University Safety Manager as soon as possible after the event. The procedure for accident reporting can be found here http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/hr/health_safety/docs/obuhsn11.html

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Appendix A Site record sheets:

Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane

Headington Campus, Headington Hill

Harcourt Hill Campus (including Westminster Halls & Harcourt Hill Halls)

Marston Road Campus

Clive Booth Student Village Blocks A-M

Clive Booth Student Village Blocks N-X & PG

Crescent Hall

Paul Kent Hall

Warneford Hall

Wheatley Campus (including Lady Spencer Churchill Halls)

These record sheets are available on Google Drive

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