News

Jim Galbraith is charged with keeping one of Canada's largest Universities operational during the winter. Read about his experiences with the Smart About Salt program in this excerpt from the University's Sustainability Newsletter. Jim says "Looking back at the first year of implementing the Smart About Salt program, Western staff are proud of their success. The Landscape Services team will continue to provide safe passage for all pedestrians and vehicular traffic on campus, while reducing negative financial and environmental impacts." In a followup email Jim identified the following salt savings:

When comparing the light 2011-2012 winter to the 2012-2013 winter (considered to be 3 times as bad), the University saw a 22% reduction in its bulk salt use. "The actual percentage decrease would be even higher if we did a comparison against similar past winters. This is an incredible achievement made possible by the SAS training and our dedicated staff that truly understood the effects of salt and the proper use of salt for winter applications from your training session", said Galbraith.

A City of Ottawa Council Motion (Ref # ACS2011-CMR-TRC-0017) was passed that all Contractors, and all required City staff, become certified in the Smart About Salt certification program to be eligible to perform snow clearing work at City facilities and parking lots.  

 

This motion is currently only for snow maintenance operators who perform snow clearing and salting operations at City parking lots and facility laneways.

 

As such, the City will be including this mandatory requirement in all new contracts issued by the City of Ottawa for the 2013/2014 winter season.  

All existing contracts will remain unchanged until retendered.   Therefore all existing contracts including those that contain extension option years will remain the same as originally tendered.

The Smart About Salt Council has training coming to Ottawa on April 9th. People can register online.

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is asking its community members to get a grip this winter by wearing proper winter boots. If you live in Waterloo Region, look and listen for the Get A Grip promotions in the local papers, on buses and radio stations as well as on posters displayed throughout the community.

One of our Smart About Salt certified contractors reported today that being involved in the Smart About Salt Program helped them to win a slip and fall law suit. The company spokesperson said "The education and training we have received from Smart about Salt helped us win. We had our paperwork which had dates, times, weather forecasts, current conditions, temperature, and what work was performed. We also had contracts and invoices proving we did our job. The plaintiff could not show that we were negligent." All of the principles and operators have taken the Smart About Salt training. Good record keeping and proactive strategies are important to protecting yourself in the event of a lawsuit.

I found the following article and thought it was important to pass it on.

Watch What You Eat on Snow-Plowing Nights

Road crews often battle snow and sleet throughout the night, but usually for only a night or two. That means they are also battling sleepiness since their bodies are adjusted to the usual daytime shift. Sleepiness can be dangerous. At least 10,000 accidental deaths a year are sleep-related and 200,000 traffic accidents annually are due to driver fatigue.

Recent research on sleep deprivation shows that what you eat before and during nighttime work can affect sleepiness. Since the body slows down at night, it does not want to digest a donut, a "Big Mac," or most other fast foods. Greasy, heavy, protein foods bring on sleep according to information in The Shiftworker's Handbook.

Drivers can still enjoy eating, though. Take light, well-balanced meals and eat snacks that are compatible with slower, nighttime digestion.

• Main meal before night work (5:00-7:00 pm) Eat light protein foods like chicken, turkey, fish, or cooked beans and peas. Vegetables, fruit, breads, pasta and potatoes are good, as are low-fat milk, cheeses, and yogurt. If you're planning to sleep before work, make this a lighter and smaller meal.
• Meals during breaks Eat soup and salad, soup and a light sandwich, or light protein foods and vegetables.
• Snacks before and during work Good snacks include low-fat dairy products, fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, cereal, plain cookies, pretzels, and baked crackers.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine Coffee and tea contain caffeine; smoking and chewing tobacco contain nicotine. These are stimulants at first but soon become depressants. They make the heart beat slower.
• Do not consume alcohol before or during snow plowing operations

([Food information] [a]dapted from Road Business, Fall 1994, University of new Hampshire T2 Center. The Shiftworker's Handbook is by Marty Klein, Ph.D., SynchroTech, Lincoln, Nebraska.)

Source: http://www.usroads.com/journals/p/rmj/9712/rm971201.htm

Please stay safe out there!

Today the Smart About Salt Council launched its Online Forum to provide a place where members and discuss topics of mutual interest or seek information from their colleagues. We hope that it will help to accelerate the rate of adoption of best practices. To join the discussion simply go to the FORUMS page and either start a topic of join one already in progress.  

December saw the launch of the Smart About Salt Audit program. This program is intended to visit Smart About Salt Certified Companies to assess the degree of compliance with the SAS Program requirements. The initial 6 companies were selected to test the program and get feedback on improvements to the program before it is expanded. The general feedback was positive. In fact several audited companies thanked the Council for selecting them for the audit. Clearly these companies are committed to being top in their industry and valued the review and comments that the Audit provides. "The Audit should not raise any surprises" says Bob Hodgins, SASC's Executive Director. "We are simply confirming the information that the companies have reported in the Annual Reports that they file." The first six companies passed with flying colours. The SAS Auditors are experience in winter maintenance practices and bring a positive helpful approach to the Audits. "Our clientele expect us to enforce our standards", says Hodgins. "We also expect that everyone in the Smart About Salt Program is applying best practices consistent with the program goals." Look for more audits in the new year.

On December 12th, Bob Hodgins, Executive Director, Smart About Salt Council and one of the Council Board members, Tony DiGiovanni, Executive Director, Landscape Ontario presented the Smart About Salt Program to Gord Miller, Ontario's Environment Commissioner. Commissioner Miller has been an outspoken supporter of improved salt management as an important tool to protect Ontario's environment. Commissioner Miller provides some important advice and leads on how the program could be further promoted within the Provincial Government. These leads have been followed up and further meetings with government officials have been scheduled for the new year.

In November, the Smart About Salt Council hosted a delegation from the Henan Provincial Salt Administration Bureau. The six person delegation heard of our program from the Canadian Department of External Affairs. Bob Hodgins, Executive Director, Smart About Salt made a presentation about Canada's efforts to reduce the environmental effects of salt and how the Smart About Salt program is contributing to efforts to improve salt management by municipalities and private companies.

The Netherlands are experimenting with glow in the dark, temperature sensitive paint that will illuminate snowflakes on the road when the pavement reaches a temperature that could cause slippery conditions. You can view the story at this link. What will they think of next?