Kevin Gilbride
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Over the last few years a group has been developing a study to better understand the amount of salt actually needed to effectively manage snow and ice on commercial parking lots and sidewalks. The study – Optimal Snow and Ice Control of Parking Lots and Sidewalks – has been largely conducted at the University of Waterloo’s iTTS Lab in Ontario by students and university professors. On the surface, the study is a credible endeavor stemming from necessity. From a sustainability standpoint it makes sense. At the same time, there are a number of items in the study I caution you to review and give serious consideration to because of the far reaching impact this study – taken in its entirety – could have not only on your businesses, but the entire industry. The first concern is the relatively miniscule sample size used to substantiate the study’s hypothesis. With most of the research conducted on the University of Waterloo’s parking lots and sidewalks, the study does not take into account variances incurred in different geographic regions. The study states salt type, application rate, pavement temperature, snow amount, and traffic volume are all statistically significant in influencing snow melting. This fact alone shows that application rate from property to property will need to be different. The second concern are the special-interest groups behind the study claiming the research’s scientific value will reduce risk in your operations and protect in slip-and-fall claims against your company. To my knowledge, there has not been any research conducted to support this claim. Logically, yes, it might “aide” in your defense of these claims, however there is much more to defending yourself in a slip-and-fall claim than just the amount of salt applied. The third concern is the calibration issue. To adapt your operations to match the study’s results, would your site teams or salt truck operators be required to recalibrate their spreaders for each individual property during each snow-and-ice event? Furthermore, do you have the proper equipment in your fleet to calibrate your spreaders at the right level or will you need all new equipment? In addition, how would you adequately manage this with subcontractors? The fourth concern is the enforcement of proper spreader calibration. How will this be enforced? Will it be voluntary? Or is a further initiative in the works to have a third party enforce this? I have heard both. My final concern is the assumption that professional snow and ice managers are grossly over applying salt. Again, to my knowledge, the research to substantiate the “over application” premise has not been conducted. Certainly we have all seen situations where this has occurred. However, is this scenario the rule or the exception to the rule? The research needs to be conducted and must be conclusive. An industry that is more educated and has a clearer understanding of application rates, site conditions, and how deicing materials works is a positive thing… that I’m not arguing. However, I do question the driving forces behind this research and the unintended consequences that could result from it. On its own a salt study is a good idea. What the information is used for afterwards is a critical question that needs to be answered. I strongly encourage you to educate yourself and make up your own mind. The study is now entering its second phase, but you can read the summary final report by entering bit.ly/1EgDQu4 into your web browser. Feel free to contact me directly if you’d like to discuss this further. As for the positioning on legal defense side of the equation, applying the exact amount of salt need to melt snow and ice is rarely brought into the discussion. What is discussed is whether salt or de-icing material was in fact applied. The No. 1 reason for a slip-and-fall claim being lost or settled is the lack of overall or accurate documentation. Documentation of not only the application of salt, but all items that are detailed in the ANSI/ASCA System Requirements for Snow and Ice Management, the Industry Standards for the snow and ice management industry. This also includes training documentations, preseasons site-inspection reports, in-event documentation, and post-event documentation to name just a few of them. Alone, none of these is a full defense, however, together they are a powerful tool to avoid heafty settlements. The implementation of the Industry Standards, and verified by the ISO 9001 and SN 9001 Quality management system, is beginning to prove effective in dismissing these claims. Industry wide, 35 percent of slip-and-fall cases are dismissed. So far, through the snow insurance program launched this past fall, nearly 100 percent of these cases have been dismissed.
Email me @ kgilbride@gie.net |
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