The 15-minute yard walk: post-winter inspection guide for facilities managers

We visit three or four industrial yards every week

The problems that end up costing serious money were almost always visible months earlier. A crack growing. A drain running slow. A patch failing in the same spot. Fifteen minutes once a month, walking your yard with fresh eyes, is enough to catch most of them before they become expensive. And the record you build protects you when an insurer or the HSE asks what you knew and when.

Problem Guide: What good looks like in service yards

A well-maintained yard is not just about appearance. It is about surfaces, drainage, and markings all working together as a system
Good yards are not necessarily new yards. They are yards where problems are caught and dealt with before they compound
The difference between a yard that works and one that does not is usually a consistent inspection routine, not a big capital spend

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Why early spring is the right time to do this

Winter does its damage quietly. Freeze-thaw cycles work on cracks, saturated ground weakens sub-bases, and drainage systems get pushed to their limits. Now that temperatures are stabilising, the evidence is visible if you know where to look. This is also when most facilities teams are finalising maintenance budgets. What you find now shapes what you spend over the next twelve months, and what you document protects you if anything goes wrong.

What to check and why it matters

Surface condition

Cracks wider than 5mm, spalling, potholes, and areas that have visibly dropped or lifted. Surface defects do not stay the same size. Anything above 40mm depth is an immediate hazard. Focus on joints between slabs and edges near drainage channels.

Standing water and drainage

Puddles that remain more than an hour after rain mean your drainage is not coping. Standing water weakens sub-bases, creates slip hazards, and can become a compliance issue if contaminated runoff reaches watercourses.

Drainage infrastructure

Blocked gullies, damaged grate covers, and silting all reduce capacity. A system running below capacity will fail in the next heavy rain. Check interceptors if you handle oils or fuels, and channel drains along loading bays.

Pedestrian and vehicle routes

Slips, trips, and falls account for around 30% of workplace injuries with average liability payouts exceeding £20,000. Look for trip hazards, faded markings, and areas where pedestrian and vehicle routes are not clearly separated.

Edges, joints, and ironwork

Edges and joints are where most failures start. Look for gaps between slabs and kerbs, rocking ironwork, and crumbling edges. Loose ironwork under HGV traffic is a vehicle damage risk and a potential injury point.

Sub-base signs

A hollow sound underfoot, visible sinking, or sections that flex under load suggest sub-base failure. If the sub-base is failing, surface repairs will not hold. Focus on areas that have been repeatedly patched and sections near drainage runs.

What to do with what you find

Photograph the same locations each month with a date and note the size of any defects. Prioritise anything creating a trip hazard, blocking drainage, or sitting in a high-traffic area. If you are seeing sub-base movement or drainage that is fundamentally not coping, get a proper survey before spending money on repairs that will not hold.

FAQ's

Monthly is the right baseline for most industrial sites. The key is consistency. Regular inspections from the same locations over time create a defensible maintenance record.

HSE guidance treats potholes above 40mm as an immediate hazard. Standing water persisting more than an hour after rainfall, loose ironwork under traffic routes, and any cracking suggesting sub-base failure should all be treated as priority defects.

Yes, materially. Commercial insurers can reduce or decline claims where maintenance failure contributed to a loss. Dated inspection records and repair logs make it significantly harder for an insurer to argue a loss was gradual and avoidable.

Yes. Our site survey covers surface condition, drainage, joint integrity, sub-base indicators, and line markings. The written report forms part of your maintenance record regardless of whether you proceed with works immediately.

Concerned about what winter has left behind?

Send us a brief and we will organise a free site survey. An honest assessment of what needs attention now, what can wait, and what it will take to fix properly.

Call 0161 533 0921orSend your brief

The 15-minute yard walk: a post-winter inspection guide for facilities managers