Snow removal slip-and-fall documentation checklist for Canadian contractors

Across Canada, winter slip-and-fall claims often arrive months — or even a full year — after a snowstorm. When a claimant alleges they slipped on black ice outside a commercial plaza or strata building at 8:30 AM, the property manager and their insurer immediately turn to the snow contractor and ask for your service logs.

At the same time, every snow contractor deals with the more immediate Monday-morning problem: a property manager who arrives at 9:00 AM after blowing snow or morning traffic has tracked slush back across the lot, claiming "Your plow never came last night."

What paper route sheets and text messages miss

Handwritten cab logs and driver WhatsApp messages fail under scrutiny for three reasons:

• No independent timestamp or location verification: A paper log filled out at the end of a 12-hour storm shift is easy for an adjuster or property manager to challenge.
• No visual proof of surface conditions: Knowing a truck was on site doesn't prove that the main entrance sidewalk was shovelled and salted down to bare pavement.
• Subcontractor gaps: On heavy storm nights when subcontractors clear overflow lots, their paper logs rarely make it back to your office in a consistent format.

The 6-point winter visit documentation checklist

Whether you run your own plow trucks and sidewalk crews or dispatch subcontractors, require these six items on every commercial snow and de-icing visit using TeamProof's snow removal proof workflow:

1. GPS Check-In at arrival: As soon as the operator or shovel crew arrives at the property, they tap Check in on their phone. TeamProof records the exact timestamp and GPS distance from the property pin.
2. "Before" photo of accumulation: Snap 1–2 quick photos showing snow depth or ice conditions at the main drive lane and primary building entrance before work begins.
3. Walkway & entrance clearing photo: Most slip-and-fall claims happen on pedestrian walkways, ramps, stairs and handicap parking stalls — not in the middle of the back lot. Capture clear photos of cleared walkways and stairs.
4. De-icing / salt application photo: Take a close-up photo showing visible salt or de-icer spread across high-traffic pedestrian zones and entrances.
5. "After" wide shot of the cleared lot: Capture the plowed drive lanes, fire lanes and parking stalls before leaving the site.
6. GPS Check-Out at departure: Tap Check out when leaving so your log shows both the exact arrival time and total time on site.

Why flat-rate software matters in winter (November–March)

Many field apps charge $25–$50 USD per user per month. For a snow contractor who scales up from 5 year-round staff to 45 seasonal plow operators, shovelers and subcontractors in November, per-user software costs thousands of dollars a winter.

TeamProof is priced at a flat CA$49/month plus tax with unlimited workers, and subcontractors join free. You can put every seasonal driver and shovel crew on the system without adding a cent to your monthly bill — and give every property manager a private link to view their lot's timestamped GPS and photo log.