How We Protect You: The Geko-Grit Data Standard

How To Pass A Winter Maintenance Compliance Audit

To stand up to a compliance audit and mitigate litigation in the North East of England, you must prove that you have a proactive, documented system in place. In the eyes of a judge or an auditor, if it isn't written down, it didn't happen.

The North East faces specific challenges—coastal winds in Tyneside and Wearside that strip grit from surfaces, and "frost hollows" in County Durham. A generic UK policy often fails here.

Here is the specific framework you need to implement to pass an audit and defend against slip-and-fall claims.

1. The Legal Standard: "Reasonably Practicable"

You are not required to keep your premises 100% ice-free at every second. Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, your duty is to take "reasonable" steps to ensure safety.

• Audit Red Flag: A policy that says "We will keep the car park ice-free." This is impossible to guarantee and sets you up for failure in court.

• Audit Pass: A policy that says "We will monitor forecasts daily and treat high-traffic pedestrian routes when temperatures are forecast to drop below 1°C." This is achievable and defensible.

2. The "Paper Trail" (Your Primary Defence)

In a court case, the claimant will say, "It was icy and I fell." You cannot simply reply, "We gritted it." You must produce the evidence.

Your audit-ready logbook must contain:

• The Trigger: A record of the weather forecast you checked (e.g., "Met Office North East Regional Forecast checked at 14:00. Prediction: -2°C overnight").

• The Action: Who gritted, at what time, and using what material? (e.g., "John Smith, 16:30, White Marine Salt, Pedestrian Walkway A").

• The Inspection: Crucially, a post-grit check. (e.g., "Inspection at 08:00 the following morning confirms path is clear/safe").

• The Plan: A highlighted map of your site showing exactly which areas are "Priority 1" (main entrance, disabled ramps) and which are "Priority 2" (overflow car park).

3. Specific North East Audit Risks

Auditors in this region are aware of specific local hazards. Ensure your risk assessment covers these:

• Coastal Wash-off: If your business is near the coast (e.g., Sunderland, Blyth, South Shields), sea spray and high winds can wash/blow salt away. Your policy must state that you will "re-apply grit after heavy winds or rain."

• Drainage/Runoff: With the hilly terrain in parts of Newcastle and Durham, melted snow often refreezes across pathways overnight (black ice). You must identify these "run-off" zones in your risk assessment.

4. Audit Checklist: What they will ask for

If a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspector or an insurance auditor visits, they will demand these three documents:

When should you grit?

The best time to grit is in the evening or early morning, just before the temperature drops below freezing.

• Precautionary is best: Grit before the frost settles. If you grit a dry surface before the temperature drops, the salt will mix with any incoming moisture to create a saline solution that prevents freezing.

• Watch out for rain: If rain is forecast before a freeze, wait until the rain has stopped. If you grit while it is raining, the water will simply wash the salt away before it can do its job.

• Morning traffic: If you cannot grit the night before, do it early in the morning before foot or vehicle traffic compresses snow into hard ice.

What's The Difference? Ground Temperature vs. Air Temperature

This is the most common reason people get caught out by ice.

• Air Temperature: This is what you see on your weather app or car dashboard. It is measured about 1.5 meters above the ground.

• Ground Temperature: This is the actual temperature of the pavement or soil.

Why it matters: The ground releases heat faster than the air. On a clear winter night, the ground temperature can be several degrees lower than the air temperature.

Example: Your car might say it is +2°C (Air Temp), but the road surface could be -1°C (Ground Temp). This is why you often see frost on the ground even when the "weather" says it is above freezing.

Always trust visible signs of frost (or a "feels like" forecast) over a simple air temperature reading.

How much grit is too much?

More is not always better. Over-gritting can be damaging and wasteful.

The Golden Rule: You generally only need 10–20 grams per square meter.

• Visual Guide: This is roughly one tablespoon or a small handful per square meter. It should look like a sprinkling of seasoning, not a layer of carpet.

Why too much is bad:

• Concrete Damage: Salt is corrosive. Excessive piles of salt can damage concrete driveways and eat away at brickwork or paving sealants.

• Plant Life: Salty runoff is toxic to most garden plants and lawns. If you over-grit, the melting ice will carry that salt directly into your soil.

• Pollution: Excess salt eventually washes into storm drains and local waterways, where it can harm aquatic wildlife.

• Tracking: Excess grit is easily tracked indoors, where it can stain carpets and scratch hardwood floor