Check your buildings for ice damage
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With business premises slowly emerging from the recent bad
weather, owners need to assess what damage may have been done to
their buildings and act promptly to put it right, warns Kent-based
Chartered Building Surveyors Metcalfe Stanley Hicks.
While severe cold weather brings obvious problems, such as burst
pipes and ice causing damage to guttering, other issues might not
be so readily noticeable.
"For example, frost can get into pre-existing cracks and widen
them leading to long term problems and damaged glass can crack and
shatter as temperatures fluctuate," said Richard Metcalfe.
"As the snow and ice melt businesses should conduct a thorough
internal and external examination of their premises to check for
damage and seek expert advice as to what remedial work needs to be
carried out."
The recent extreme conditions have served as a timely reminder
to businesses of the importance of drawing up and following a
Planned Maintenance Programme for their premises. A Planned
Maintenance Programme schedules essential work which needs to be
carried out on buildings over a fixed period of time and helps set
a budget for that work.
"Although severe weather such as that we have experienced in
recent weeks is always likely to cause unexpected problems, those
who have followed a maintenance programme are likely to find their
buildings emerge relatively unscathed as any pre-existing faults
are likely to have been repaired before the ice and snow have had
the chance to exacerbate them," said Richard.
For organisations without a Planned Maintenance Programme, the
advice is to draw one up - sooner rather than later.
"The reason for having such a programme is that buildings and
their fixtures and fittings need regular attention to ensure they
are fit for purpose and safe to use," added Richard.
Chartered Building Surveyors can help with preparing a
programme. They take a methodical approach to the work, relying on
their knowledge of building materials and construction details.
For more information on the Hadlow-based company visit www.msh-cbs.co.uk
Friday, January 29 2010
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