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2025’s Top Winter Weather Tips for Forest Products Businesses

Winter weather is here, and as always, we want to encourage everyone to practice proactive risk reduction.

When it comes to freezing temperatures and winter precipitation, be on guard for heat source fires, pipe freezes and structural damage to roofs and buildings.

Even if you’re a seasoned veteran of the forest products industry, it still pays to review the essentials to make sure there’s nothing you’re taking for granted this season.

So please give the following tips a thorough review. With a proactive approach to winter weather risk reduction, you can help avoid serious losses and keep operations up and running.

1. Stay on Top of Your Local Weather Forecasts

It always pays to keep up with your local forecast, but it becomes absolutely critical during seasons with a heightened risk of extreme weather events. When it comes to winter weather, this applies equally to businesses in regions that rarely experience freezing temperatures. Buildings in those locales are typically not insulated for colder weather, so even a brief freeze can produce outsized problems if you’re not prepared.

2. Practice Heat Source Safety

Fires are among the most significant risks for forest products businesses in general. During cold weather when heating systems are in heavy use, this risk increases greatly, especially when employees start looking for creative ways to stay warm. The good news is there are a number of actionable steps to reduce the risk of heat source fires during winter months.

Perform Regular Maintenance and Proper Cleaning
It’s good practice to have all heating systems professionally inspected before the cold weather kicks off. As the season progresses, regularly inspect your heating systems and equipment for wear and tear and to ensure that all vents and exhausts are clear.

Regularly test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and keep areas with heating equipment as clean as you possibly can to reduce the concentration of wood dust and combustible debris.

Use the Correct Heating Devices
Only use equipment certified by an OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (such as UL) to ensure they meet safety standards. If you have reason to expect dusty conditions during use, ensure the device’s listing or label indicates suitability for that environment (e.g. Class II ratings for wood dust).

Of these applicably certified devices, industrial electric infrared heaters are our top recommendation for forest products businesses. Although all heat sources pose a risk for fires, electric infrared heaters offer significant safety advantages, most notably that they heat objects and people as opposed to the air, have no open flames, and do not blow out air that circulates wood dust. Fostoria, for example, offers infrared heaters that are widely used in sawmill applications.

Torpedo heaters should be avoided if at all possible. While they technically can be used for personnel heating, they pose a serious risk of fire if left unattended.

If torpedo heaters must be used, they do not require formal hot work permitting, but they should be managed as such. For example, only use the heater according to the manufacturer’s recommendations on a clean, stable surface with at least three feet of clear space around it. Ensure it’s continuously monitored while in use, and either turn it off one hour before the end of shift, or have it periodically checked for a short period of time after shutdown.

Wood burning stoves should also be avoided if at all possible. If not, ensure they are outdoors on a stable, non-combustible surface, and a clear, debris-free safety perimeter is continuously maintained around them. Install a spark arrestor on the chimney that meets industry-recognized standards (e.g. those established by NFPA or the USDA Forest Service) and always have a suitable fire extinguisher readily available.

3. Ensure Building Integrity

Heavy snowfall, ice accumulation and high winds can overload roofs, causing collapses that halt operations, damage equipment, and create secondary risks like flooding or fire.

While a professional engineer or risk assessor is best suited to identify and address your building’s vulnerabilities, you can take proactive steps now to reduce these risks.

Research and Inspection
Review your building’s construction date and design specifications. Older structures may lack modern features—such as enhanced load capacities or secondary drainage—that help prevent roof collapses. If these elements are missing, consider investing in upgrades ASAP!

Evaluate Structural Integrity and Added Loads
Schedule regular inspections—especially before winter—to spot signs of wear or damage. Look for sagging sections, leaks, corrosion, or blocked drainage points. Identifying and addressing these issues proactively will help maintain structural integrity if conditions worsen.

Consider any extra weight introduced over time—such as equipment mounted on or suspended from the roof. Even if your building meets updated code standards, these added loads, combined with snow and ice, may exceed its intended capacity. When in doubt, consult an engineer or risk assessor.

Create a Snow Load Prevention Plan
Develop a formal plan specifying “trigger” snow loads, that once reached, prompt immediate action to remove excessive snow and ice. Don’t leave it up to an employee’s personal discretion as to when snow needs to be removed.

Train staff on safe snow removal techniques and always keep the necessary equipment on hand or contract with a professional service.

4. Protect Your Sprinkler Systems and Plumbing Against Freeze-Ups

Sprinkler systems are the most obvious concern for freeze-ups, but all indoor plumbing needs to be protected from the cold. Ruptured pipes can leave a building exposed to greater fire risk in addition to flooding. Even if your operations are in an area with mild winters, you should still be on guard against frozen pipes.

Prepare Sprinkler Systems for Cold Temperatures
Regularly inspect both wet and dry sprinkler systems for signs of leaks or damage, and in cold conditions, freezing. For dry sprinkler systems specifically, regularly drain low points to remove condensation before it can freeze. If the unfortunate occurs and sprinkler system pipes do freeze, treat the thawing process as hot work and follow the proper permits and safety procedures.

Maintain Good Practices to Protect Against Freeze-Ups
Ensure your facility is fully enclosed against cold air infiltration by keeping all doors, windows, and automatic louvers properly shut. Set up alarms that alert you if critical indoor areas that are normally heated—such as dry sprinkler system riser rooms—fall below 40°F. Keep all areas with wet sprinkler systems at or above 40°F. For outdoor piping systems, (including those for spark suppression) ensure they are properly insulated and equipped with heat tape where necessary.

You Can’t Control the Weather, But You CAN Prepare for It!

We understand that as a business owner, you’ve got enough on your plate to keep you busy no matter the season, and winter weather presents additional challenges to operations even under the best of circumstances. But by taking the time to proactively protect your business from winter weather, you can greatly reduce a number of risks that can lead to major losses and disruptions to operations.

Source:  Continental Underwriters