02/22/2023
COLD WEATHER CHECKLIST
☐ Update Emergency Program for winter including procedures for cold / snowy / icy weather.
• Appoint members of the Emergency Team to monitor weather and initiate winter procedures.
• Develop procedures for when you lose heat and/or electricity.
☐ Determine which processes need continued building heat or electricity for safety (processes that are subject to
solidification or runaway reactions) and need prompt attention.
☐ Identify equipment, processes, and piping that contains or uses water or other liquid subject to freezing. Promptly
and thoroughly drain if heat or electricity is lost.
☐ Identify building areas that are unusually difficult to heat or that lose heat rapidly. Install thermometers for
temperature monitoring during cold spells.
☐ Identify equipment that is vulnerable to freezing. Prepare the equipment for cold weather by:
• Draining and securing any idle equipment
• Draining condensate frequently
• Providing heat or locating the equipment in a heated enclosure and/or providing anti-freeze
☐ Service the heating system before winter begins. Make sure adequate supplies of fuel are on hand.
☐ Inspect and maintain the building shell to minimize openings. Fix windows and doors to close tightly. Caulk,
insulate, and weather-strip doors. Close and seal dampers, louvers, and vents.
DURING COLD / SNOWY / ICY WEATHER
☐ Monitor temperatures every few hours in vulnerable areas.
☐ Provide heat or steam tracing for exterior piping that either contains liquids or needs to maintain constant
temperatures.
☐ Use tarps to erect temporary windbreaks upwind (prevailing wind direction) of vulnerable buildings and equipment.
BEFORE SNOWFALL OCCURS
☐ Make sure the Emergency Program covers winter emergencies including excessive snow loads.
☐ Determine the maximum “safe” snow depth for the roof based on the roof’s live load capacity (indicated by building
plans and specifications or by engineering analysis of the roof design) and the properties of accumulated snow for
the area.
☐ Inspect the roof structure for damage or deterioration, and repair or reinforce as needed.
☐ Inspect roof drains and down spouts and clean accumulated debris to prevent clogging of the drainage system.
☐ Look for water ponding on the roof and eliminate the causes.
DURING SNOW ACCUMULATION
☐ Regularly monitor snow depth on the roof, especially areas where snow tends to drift:
• In roof valleys and low roof sections adjacent to higher sections or structures
• On the downwind side of pitched roofs
• Against parapets more than two feet high
• Against penthouses or other large roof structures more than 15 feet wide
☐ Remove snow accumulations from the roof before the snow reaches 50% of the “safe” maximum depth. Do not
send employees onto the roof once the snow load approaches the live load capacity. Remove snow during a storm
only if the forecast indicates that the total snowfall will result in dangerous accumulations.
☐ Remove snow in layers uniformly across the roof to prevent unbalanced loads that might cause a collapse. Avoid
making snow piles on the roof during the removal process.
☐ Clear snow and ice from storm drains and catch basins. Check the roof drainage system to make sure that it is
not clogged with ice or debris.
☐ Prevent roof cover damage by using care with snow removal equipment (shovels, ice spades, or snow blowers).
It is not necessary to completely clean the roof surface if melting snow and water can freely flow to drains.
WET PIPE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
Most Freeze-ups Result from Failure to Provide Adequate Heat.
☐ Provide adequate heating to prevent freezing during the severe, protracted cold periods, especially in attics, under
floor spaces, entries, stair towers, shipping rooms, and penthouses. Where false ceilings are installed under
sprinklers or piping with pendent heads, be sure that concealed spaces receive sufficient heat. Look for isolated
drafts or cold air leaks into areas or spaces where there are sprinklers. High winds may accompany low
temperatures. Check that heating system is delivering heat to all areas.
☐ Repair windows and doors and keep them tightly closed.
☐ Enclose piping exposed outdoors in heated, weather-tight materials.
☐ Maintain extra heat during periods of extreme cold to keep the sprinkler piping from freezing.
☐ Maintain a tight building envelope. Look for areas where cold winds can blow and close small openings and keep all
doors (especially large shipping doors) tightly closed except when needed.
☐ During severe cold with an interruption of heating dropping temperatures in the building close to 40°F, you may
need to drain the water from wet pipe sprinkler piping. If not done, ice plugs can obstruct the piping or damage
fittings and sprinklers.
☐ After prolonged, abnormally cold weather, make drain tests on sprinkler risers (if possible) to determine if
underground mains are frozen. Open the drain wide and let it run 30 seconds or more, then shut it off.
If pressure fails to return to normal, clear ice from the mains ASAP.
☐ Check room temperatures frequently, especially if near 40°F.
☐ If you need to drain the system, fire protection afforded by sprinklers is no longer available. Curtail all hazardous
operations during this period. Post a continuous fire watch with fire fighting equipment and way to summon help.
☐ DO NOT use open flames or torches for thawing frozen water pipes near combustibles or buildings.
