Cold weather isn’t just dangerous to your pipes, your plants and your car’s battery – it can be harmful to your business, too. Between frigid temperatures, slip-and-fall risks, power outages and equipment damage, winter can be considered the most dangerous season of all. The financial toll is significant, with winter storms causing billions of dollars in damages each year. If you want to protect your business, employees, and profits from the damage of deadly winter storms, here are five things you need to do now … before the next storm hits.
1. Upgrade your security cameras
Not all security cameras are built to withstand whipping winter winds and weather, which could leave your business blind to threats in a winter storm. Now’s the time to consider upgrading your surveillance cameras to weather-resistant cameras designed to withstand snow, ice and below-zero temperatures. This proactive approach prevents thieves from exploiting security vulnerabilities and helping themselves to your profits.
2. Create a snow and ice removal plan
Snowy and ice walkways, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots are hot spots for revenue-stealing accidents. Slip-and-fall injuries and automobile wrecks on your property can lead to expensive lawsuits and lost productivity. Ward these money-draining disasters away by developing a snow and ice removal plan you can dispatch quickly when winter storms hit.
Assign the tasks to specific people, so there’s no pointing fingers when the first flake falls. Prioritize eliminating slippery spaces areas such as walkways, driveways and parking lots, then check and clean snow and ice from access control panels, cameras, and solar panels. Check your cameras regularly to make sure they’re in working order and haven’t been blown out of position by harsh winds.
3. Train your employees on cold-weather protocols
Cold weather presents challenges that are best overcome as a team. Provide training for your employees that educates them about cold-weather hazards in your business such as ways to reduce cold stress, cold-weather security threats, signs of hypothermia, how to prevent frozen pipes, defensive driving in snow and ice, etc. and what to do about them.
When you follow these steps to adapt the processes in your business, it’s easy to get your team on board with new processes that keep your business safer in winter. Use this training as an opportunity not only to educate but to emphasize the importance of vigilance, awareness and reporting in cold weather and winter storms.
4. Develop a cold weather emergency plan
You can’t control the weather, but you may be able to ward off some of the most expensive and dangerous elements of winter weather by creating a winter storm preparedness plan. Consider the following:
- Decide who will make the call to close the office in case bad weather is predicted.
- What’s the plan if a storm hits while employees are at the office or on a job site?
- Do you have automatic generators set up to kick on if the power goes out when it’s 9 degrees outside?
Think through every possible scenario and come up with a plan for each.
One less thing to worry about during a winter storm: when you have solar-powered security, you don’t have to worry about being protected during a power outage. Yes, solar power works even when it’s overcast and snowing!
5. Keep your employees and your business safe with remote monitoring
Your employees don’t need to brave snow and ice to keep an eye on your business when you invest in remote monitoring. Remote monitoring allows your security personnel to monitor your security cameras and motion detectors from a secure location off-site, like the safety and comfort of their homes. Cloud-based security solutions like AMAROK’s Electric Guard Dog Fence allow you and your security personnel to monitor and access your security system from anywhere. Regardless of how long the weather keeps you from setting foot on your property, you’ll know your business is safe.
Need help securing your site for winter weather?
AMAROK’s winter-friendly security solutions include solar-powered electric security fencing, weatherproof video surveillance, remote monitoring, and more. Find your AMAROK rep here and schedule your site assessment today. Let us help you create a security plan that keeps your business safe in every season.
