Suomi Teline provides quick and safe snow clearing

Every worksite in Finland needs to prepare for winter, snow loads and snow removal. The customer is always responsible for managing snow, but they can do so with help: Suomi Teline clears snow effectively and safely wherever we work.

Many things have to be predicted in the construction business, and the same goes for snow removal. The weather may change quickly even in the Uusimaa region. If your worksite uses weather protection, you should prepare for winter, as snowy roofs need to be cleared as quickly as possible.

“We are usually able to produce cost savings for everyone by carefully planning the preparation and positions of weather protection structures – and keeping the site and equipment in working order, of course,” says Jere Sieppo, sales director at Suomi Teline.

Snow is surprisingly heavy. In addition to other load factors, snow loads must be considered in load calculations and when building weather protection and its underlying scaffolding. If one is unprepared for the conditions in Finland, they may pay a high price if weather protection and scaffolding have to be reinforced later. The availability of workers and materials, the situation at the worksite, and the structures’ capacity for modification may prevent the necessary changes from being made quickly.

The SFS-EN 16508 standard sets the requirements for weather protection, and snow loads are based on the standard’s snow load classes. The typical winter snow load is 25 kg/m2. The base assumption is that snow can be cleared off the weather protection as needed.

In late winter, the typical density of snow is 200 to 300 kg/m3, but winds may temporarily push this value higher. This means that just 10 centimetres of fresh snow is approaching the rated load. Although weather protection can be designed without a snow load, Finland’s conditions are such that you should absolutely be prepared for an unpredictable winter and snow situations.

Weather is key in snow management

Suomi Teline keeps a close eye on wind, rain and snowfall forecasts and prepares accordingly by adjusting its number of on-call personnel, for example. This guarantees a quick response to snowfall. Customers should also monitor the weather at their worksite: there may be great differences in snowfall even within Uusimaa.

If snow removal is neglected, the changes in weather become the biggest problem. When wet snow freezes, you get ice. Protective covers will sag due to the increased weight, and fresh ice is not as simple to remove as fresh snow. This makes it essential to quickly respond to snowfall – snow may change its state within a day in winter.

“All the customer needs to do is contact Suomi Teline and review the worksite’s snow situation. We offer quick and safe snow removal service for our own sites,” says Sieppo.

Safety comes first when removing snow

Suomi Teline focuses on and invests heavily in safety. All scaffolding crews wear harnesses and use double hooks, and equipment is protected against falls from the scaffolding. This also applies to snow removal, which is always handled as the situation requires.

There are many things to note in urban snow removal: Where will the snow go? Is it safe to drop the snow down onto the street below? Do we need to close off the street? Suomi Teline is an expert who can handle all these issues and more.
Even though Suomi Teline uses the highly safe ALFIX Vario weather protection system for roof access, only professionals should be allowed to walk on roofs. This is why you should leave snow removal to scaffolding crews: they have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to safely operate on scaffolding and weather protection.

Always remember the following when winter approaches:

1. Prepare your site and its weather protection for winter at the planning stage.
2. Monitor the weather at your worksite. Report snowfall to Suomi Teline.
3. For proper snow removal, leave it to Suomi Teline scaffolding crews.

Suomi Teline offers a snow removal service for its sites under a separate contract. Contact us and make sure your weather protection is safe from snow!