Parking Lot and Outdoor Maintenance

The foregoing information is provided for its educational value and to help reduce the risk of insurance loss but is not intended to include all potential controls or safeguards. Insureds remain
responsible for their own loss control efforts and should seek appropriate guidance specific to their operations. By providing this information, Argo Insurance is not undertaking a duty to
ensure, on behalf of you or others, that your property or operations are safe or in compliance with any law, rule, or regulation.



Parking Lot and Outdoor Maintenance

Maintaining an attractive store exterior along with a well-lit parking lot will help customers feel secure when
coming to your store. A clean, orderly parking lot and perimeter can help reduce accidents and discourage
criminal activity.

Tips on properly maintaining the exterior of your store and its parking lot:

Routine Maintenance Duties
• Repair potholes, cracks, depressions, and uneven pavement throughout the parking lot.
• Repair all cracked or uneven surfaces on store sidewalks.
• Clean up lubricants leaked from cars with an oil-absorbing compound.
• Make certain rebar does not protrude from the parking bumpers, and paint the bumpers with highly visible
yellow paint for driver and pedestrian awareness. Replace broken or misplaced bumpers.
• Replace all burnt out lights in the parking lot, sidewalk, or perimeter of the building to improve visibility and
safety during evening hours.
• Restripe faded lines with fresh paint in the parking lots to help aid in traffic control.
• Apply highly visible yellow paint to raised sidewalk edges, ramp edges, speed bumps, and around storm
drains and manhole covers in order to alert drivers and pedestrians to height variations.
• Correct poor drainage in the parking lot perimeter and receiving dock bays.
• Store hoses away from walkways or use a hose reel. Avoid watering seasonal plant displays or spraying
sidewalks during peak store hours.
• Maintain landscaping elements such as rock or ground cover within designated perimeters to prevent trips
and falls.
• Reduce snow and ice buildup during the winter months by shoveling and using de-icer product on your
sidewalk and ramps, in addition to parking lot plowing.

Daily Procedures
• Regularly inspect the parking lot and perimeter for debris, to retrieve carts, and to empty trashcans.
• Place cardboard bales or wooden pallets at least twelve feet away from the building in order to reduce the
possibility of a fire hazard.
• Make certain that the power supply to outside freight lifts or bailers is locked out when not in use and the
controls or keys removed to prevent unauthorized use.

As a manager, tour the outside premises of the store at least weekly to determine whether the duties listed above
are carried out as needed.

Your responsibility for maintaining the parking lot may be determined by the terms of your lease agreement, so
review your terms.
• If the landlord is designated as the responsible party in your lease agreement, you may want to discuss your
maintenance plan with him or her. As repairs are needed, promptly submit all repair requests in writing and
continue to do so until the landlord responds to your request.
Note of caution: If the landlord is designated as the responsible party in your lease agreement, but you, as a
tenant, take care of the repairs yourself, responsibility for the lot is assumed yours in many jurisdictions.

Even if you are not responsible for the parking lot and perimeter maintenance, you still have a duty to identify
hazards, place warning signs, and notify the responsible party so timely action can be taken to eliminate the
hazard.

Maintaining your store’s exterior in an attractive and orderly manner will help to bring in repeat business, prevent
accidents, and control your insurance costs.
June 2014