Does your employer have an obligation to clear snow from the parking lot?

[undeterred]

I drove 53 miles in a blinding snowstorm today only to find that my employer, at 9:30 am, had not yet begun to clear the snow. Inside the facility I got stuck in a snowdrift, got myself out, and finally left my car in deep snow that I had to shovel my way out of later. The company hadn't contracted with anyone to clear snow this season and they don't have a plow- and its a huge plant.

Late in the day our HR department sent out an email regarding all the absences and how they should be handled... sort of suggesting that really dedicated employees would come in no matter what. The thing is, if I'd known how much trouble it was going to be to get in to work today and that there would be nowhere to park, I would have called in like so many other people did.

I told HR that the company has an obligation to clear the snow. Isn't this just common sense?

[Left Is Write]

1. I would assume that they do have a responsibility to clear snow

from property they own. It's a liability issue.

Definitely take this up the food chain.

[Nikia]

2. You would think so

But my company doesn't feel the obligation to light the parking light lot so I suppose some companies don't feel obligated to remove the snow either.

[JVS]

3. Fuck HR!

[Redstone]

8. Truly the last refuge of scoundrels, HR is.

Redstone

[xmas74]

4. I've always been informed that since your vehicle

is your private property you know you are taking a risk by leaving it on their property.

Pretty much a "at your own risk" sort of deal.

(My car is stuck at work right now because of snow drifts.)

[cwydro]

5. Well, don't know about the snow

but here, they trim all the palms and cut all the coconuts down before a hurricane. However, if you park there during the storm...it is still your own lookout.

To me the snow thing seems a bigger issue. I mean, how can you park?

[PrimeRibGuy]

6. Just a thought...

You could have slipped on your way in the door, sued their ass and then owned the parking lot!

[eyesroll]

7. YES.

There's probably not a statute indicating such, but they set themselves up for big liability if someone gets into an accident or slips and falls.

However, they don't have to do it instantly -- just within a reasonable amount of time. So, if the snow was still coming down, all of the plows were booked for miles, etc., they may be able to claim their failure to plow was reasonable. (Although you can argue that a reasonable plant, in Wisconsin, would have a plowing contract or other plans in place long before Dec. 1 -- but still, if their plowing contractor was backed up and couldn't get there until noon, or the snowplow that they bought broke down even after proper maintenance, that could still be reasonable. I'm studying for finals. Can you tell?).

[undeterred]

10. The company is very big on Safety

Hey eyesroll! :hi:

Every single person on the premises knows about it if someone gets first aid - an incident report gets sent out. Always trying to avoid OSHA recordables! Since its a manufacturing plant for heavy machinery there are a lot of jobs where someone could get hurt, so we even have a full time safety person.

I do computer support so my job isn't inherently dangerous.

I heard later that they have trouble finding outside companies to clear the snow because there are railroad tracks running through the plant (our engines are shipped by rail) and it wrecks the plow if they run into it. But wouldn't you think that by December 1 they'd have figured it out?

Did you get a lot of snow in Milwaukee?

[eyesroll]

11. About a foot. Classes got cancelled (although I didn't have any classes anyway).

It was ugly for awhile.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. My employer is me. Are you intending to ask more generically,

or did you specifically mean to ask each of us indivudally if our employers have an obligation to clear snow?