The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has released a new report, entitled Act Locally — The Municipal Role in Fighting Climate Change, showing what municipalities are doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and suggesting that federal government agencies partner with municipalities on cost-effective, community-based projects to give more of a push to the national climate change strategy.

FCM suggests that Canadians want to see their governments take a strong, pro-active stand on climate change. Fortunately, many municipalities are already doing much of what is necessary, in their efforts to improve public transit, shifting to more fuel-efficient fleets, using landfill gas as energy and making public buildings more energy-efficient through retrofitting.

According to the report, which was prepared by Dave Sawyer and Seton Stiebert, of EnviroEconomics, municipal governments have direct or indirect influence over activities such as waste management, transportation and building design, that account for as much as 44% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The report notes the “large, untapped potential” to achieve low-cost greenhouse gas reductions in these areas, with two-thirds of the reductions achievable for a lower cost than regulating industry or developing renewable energy.

The report identifies a large number of additional benefits that would result from greater investment in community-based greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives, ranging from improved air quality and fewer health issues, to the creation of local jobs and economic development. In addition, adoption of energy efficiency measures lead to lower municipal operating costs, which saves taxpayers money, and helps governments balance their budgets.

The report recommends a change in mindset, and not just a reallocation of money, however. Instead of everyone acting on their own, the federal government should commit to working with provinces, territories and municipalities to pinpoint the best, most cost-effective strategies for dealing with climate change, and combine resources for the most effective action.

Ontario’s Ministry of Labour (MOL) is stepping up its efforts to reduce workplace injuries by focusing on hazards in vehicle body repair facilities throughout the province. During this sweep, inspectors will visit about 800 vehicle body repair workplaces in York, Durham and Peel Regions, Dufferin and Simcoe Counties and the City of Toronto, checking for hazards in a number of key areas.

Inspectors will examine the use and maintenance of hoists, jacks and other lifting equipment, and look for evidence that such devices are being used properly, maintained adequately, and inspected regularly. They will also examine the use and handling of hazardous substances, and may receive assistance from occupational hygienists to assess worker exposure to hazardous substances. They will pay special attention to materials containing isocyanates, which are known to cause illnesses many years after initial exposure to them, and require a control program and specialized training for workers.

Assessments of workers’ training, and the effectiveness of health and safety procedures will be part of the sweep, and inspectors will also document infractions of environmental protection regulations and examine qualification certificates for workers who perform restricted activities, such as autobody and collision damage repairs. Engineering consultants will review compliance and advise inspectors concerning the storage and dispensing of flammable liquids. In addition, they will report any evidence of improper disposal of hazardous waste and illegal venting of vapours to the appropriate authorities.

Wage statements will be reviewed, and employers’ record-keeping will be assessed. They plan to assist some employers, especially those running smaller shops, to become more aware of their responsibilities under the Employment Standards Act.

This inspection initiative is meant to complement the blitz strategy employed by the MOL since June 2008. The philosophy of Safe At Work Ontario is based on the concept that keeping workers safe means increased economic productivity and less strain on the province’s health care system.

In Ontario, the annual rates of lost-time workplace injury dropped 20% between 2004 and 2008. That means 12,000 fewer injuries per year. Because of that drop, employers managed to save $5 billion in direct and indirect costs in that time.

While doing some research on the internet recently I came upon a presentation done in 2008 about using trash trucks as a emergency back up snowplow for some secondary routes. I thought that this was a very interesting concept and contacted the Presenter Mick Mercer, Manager City of Loveland, CO USA.

Mick said,

Thanks for the inquiry.

Attached are some photos of our demo trash-truck plow that we pilot-tested last winter 2008-2009. It worked quite well once it was installed correctly. The plow driver averaged about 12 mph while pushing a wet 8-inch snow. We recently received the OK to install another 10 more plows onto other City trash/recycling trucks, for a total of 11. These plows will be installed prior to next winter 2010.

Our intent will be to deploy these 11 trash-truck plows only during the heavier, emergency-type snowfalls that would likely create problems for a 2WD vehicle trying to negotiate the residential street snow depths. We’ll plow the center third of our residential streets at the same time our Streets Division crews are clearing their priority snow routes, and hopefully before the snow gets so packed down and frozen that it becomes badly rutted and near-impossible to plow. Our Solid Waste Division employees know our residential street network better than anyone, and they also know how to drive these streets in the most efficient drive path, so no street should go unplowed.

We will not plow residentials during the more typical 2-5 inch snowfalls due to the negative impact this would have on daily trash and recycling collections, which of course still must take place. Our real challenge will be trying to communicate to our citizens why we sometimes plow residential streets and sometimes don’t….

However, I really won’t have a complete picture of how well this concept works until sometime next winter 2010-2011.

I should mention that we will not try to plow and pick up trash/recyclables at the same time. Our plan is to concentrate on plowing first and then perform collections, or vice versa, depending upon when the storm rolls in. We know we’ll need at least a partial load on the trucks for traction, or possibly some tire chains.

A few months ago while doing some training at an Ontario Municipality the fleet manager told me about a recent visit from the Ministry of Labour. They were doing a routine inspection and noticed a plow in the shop being serviced. The inspector asked if the conveyor belt that feeds the spinner is normally protected and when the answer was “no” an order was issued.

We asked the company that “saved the day” to please tell us a little about their solution:

Earlier this spring Belt Conveyor Guarding was in discussion with a local municipality that was concerned about the safety of their snowplow and sander drivers. The problem: a person could get his or her hand caught in a pinch point area, specifically with the sand/salt conveyor located within the sanders.

When a conveyor moves, it can carry your fingers, clothing etc to places where they can get caught or pinched or worse, even mangled or severed. In this situation some one could get hurt if they got caught when reaching into the hazard area – the moving conveyor.

Pinch Point Guarding is commonly used when safeguarding machinery to ensure that people cannot come into contact with the hazards contained. By law, pinch point guarding must prevent anybody from not only being able to reach through to the hazard, but also must prevent them from reaching over, under or around the guarding.

In order to ensure that any openings aren’t large enough to allow access to the hazards contained, the guarding must comply with North American standards such as ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and CSA (Canadian Standards Association). These standards are used to determine guard mounting distances based on the maximum opening sizes in the guarding. This ensures that any body part which can fit through the mesh won’t be able to contact the machinery inside.

Guarding should be thought of as an insurance policy, a necessary cost that ensures your workers as well as your bottom line, are safe. Where there is a hazard, there should be a guard. There are many issues to consider before developing or installing any protective device. Is it ergonomically friendly and maintenance friendly? Does it conform to industry standards?

Belt Conveyor Guarding is an industry leader in the safeguarding of belt conveyors and equipment, and knows how to keep workers safe.

Remember the only way to truly safeguard against a “conveyor vs worker” injury is to

“STAY AWAY – STAY SAFE”
www.conveyorguarding.com

At the end of October, Ontario’s new distracted driving law took effect. The law makes it illegal for motorists to use almost any hand-held communication or entertainment devices while driving, except for a rare emergency. Therefore, if you tend to talk, text or e-mail from a hand-held device while operating a motor vehicle, expect to be stopped by police if you’re caught.

The new law only applies to hand-held devices, so if you really have to make a call, you can still use one of the following:

• A cell phone with an earpiece or headset using voice dialing, or plugged into the vehicle’s sound system

• A global positioning system (GPS) device that is properly secured to the dashboard or another accessible place in the vehicle.
• A portable audio player that has been plugged into the vehicle’s sound system.
• 
  

The law also permits the use of some wireless devices that require users to push a button to activate and/or deactivate the device’s “hands-free” function.

The only exceptions to the law allow drivers to use hand-held devices when calling for emergency personnel when they see an accident, or when the vehicle is safely pulled off the roadway, and is stationary and/or legally parked. Drivers may also view a display screen of an instrument or system that provides system status on the vehicle itself, but not a portable movie screen or laptop.

Of course, emergency personnel, police and the fire department will be permitted to use hand-held wireless communications devices and view display screens in the normal performance of their duties.

The use of hand-held radios by amateur radio operators (who provide assistance, especially in emergency situations such as severe storms and blackouts) will be phased out within three years, to allow hands-free technologies to be developed.

In addition, a small percentage of drivers in transport-related industries, like school buses, taxis and couriers, and public service workers, like transit and highway maintenance workers, who rely on wireless devices and display screen technologies in their work will receive a three-year reprieve, in the form of a phase-out period for the commercial use of two-way radios, including mobile and CB radios, to allow for hands-free technologies to be developed. In addition, mobile data terminals, logistical tracking devices and dispatching devices will be exempt for commercial and public service vehicle drivers who are engaged in the performance of their duties.

Hand-mikes (push-to-talk systems) and portable radios (walkie-talkies) may be used in a hands-free mode. This would mean the driver can use a lapel button or other hands-free application as long as the hand-mike or walkie-talkies is not held while driving.

This is a lot to remember, but it you would like a copy of the Ontario government regulation, click here. Suffice it to say, if you have to talk while you drive, try to do it hands-free.

A young contract worker from Newfoundland has died following a workplace accident at a mine site under construction in southeast Yukon.

The accident occurred on October 19 at Yukon Zinc Corp.’s Wolverine zinc-silver property, about 400 kilometres northeast of Whitehorse. Paul Wentzell, a 20-year-old employee of Procon Mining & Tunnelling Ltd, a contractor that is building a mine at the property, was working underground when he was reportedly struck and killed by an unoccupied vehicle around 9 a.m. PT Monday.

The accident is under investigation by RCMP, the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Board and Yukon Zinc itself. All construction activities at the site, both on the surface and underground, were suspended for several days. In addition, an autopsy was ordered. Although so many investigations are ongoing, the company released a prepared statement, noting that the accident was not mining activity-related, in that “it was not a ground failure or related to blasting or anything like that.”

The statement went on to read, “This is a sad day for Yukon Zinc and Procon, and on behalf of our management and staff we express our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of our deceased colleague. … Both Yukon Zinc and Procon place great emphasis on mine safety and will continue promoting safety programs to ensure that a culture and mindset of ’safety first’ is maintained throughout the company.”

According to information from Yukon Zinc, placement of steel framing and cladding for the mine’s mill buildings has been underway since early August, with the last sections of the mill roof recently completed. The mine is scheduled to open next year.

Since it’s that time of year again, perhaps it’s time to review some basic tips and techniques that all snowplow operators should remember from year to year, but which they sometimes forget over the long spring and summer seasons. Remember these, and you’ll have a great season.

• Make sure you and all operators are trained and up-to-date with regard to standard operating procedures where you work. All operators should know their assigned equipment inside and out, and they should be familiar with their assigned routes before the first snow falls.
• Before the first snow falls, operators should become familiar with the possible hazards on their route, including such things as raised manhole covers, curb drains, road surface defects and soft or narrow shoulders.
• Some operators report difficulty in turning left while pushing snow. If you turn your reversible plow in the direction the truck is turning, it is much easier to turn the vehicle, even while pushing a heavy accumulation of snow. When the turn is completed, return the plow to the proper angle.
• Be sure trucks and equipment are well-maintained and able to meet winter maintenance needs. Make sure equipment is regularly inspected and maintained between storms, in order to minimize the number of breakdowns. Operators should also perform an inspection before taking the equipment out on the road, before they get into the driver’s seat, and do so every time.
• Snowplow operators should always be properly rested before going out on the road. A tired driver combined with poor weather conditions is a recipe for disaster.
• Keep the inside of the truck in good order. Secure all items, such as pens, pads, tools and lunch boxes, and rid yourself of anything you don’t need, especially things like drink cans and food containers. These can all be dangerous flying objects in an accident.
• Use the 3-point contact method when climbing in and out of the cab, especially when the steps into the cab are coated with snow and ice.
• Wear a seat belt. Just as a drink can may become a deadly flying object in an accident, you could become the same.
• Operators should always practice defensive driving while operating the snowplow. That means keeping two hands on the wheel at all times; looking far enough down the road to see potential hazards beforehand; scanning the entire road and not looking at the same thing for too long; working to leave yourself an out on the road, and not boxing yourself into a poor situation; keeping drivers out of your blind spots as much as possible; and making sure they see you by keeping your lights and beacon on at all times.
• Keep in mind that there is a dead space distance of 20-30 metres behind the vehicle, where you cannot see when using your mirrors, so avoid backing maneuvers whenever possible.

This is, of course, not a comprehensive list of tips; these just scratch the surface. All in all, when operating a snowplow under what will undoubtedly be difficult conditions, safety must come first, for your sake and the sakes of those sharing the road with you.

Have a safe season.

If this year is typical, weather-wise, there will be a whole lot of snow all across Canada. Yet, even with all of that practice, some folks still don’t shovel it the right way, according to experts. This results, of course, in major neck and back strains, as well as other injuries that stem from moving your body in odd, unnatural ways. There is always a seasonal increase in such injuries, and most of them are avoidable, with just some slight variations in technique.

One of the first things you should do is head to the hardware store and get yourself an ergonomic snow shovel. You’ll recognize them immediately, because they look a little funny, with a handle that is bent at an angle. This design helps keep your back straighter.

But even if you use an ergonomic shovel, be sure to follow some basic steps to preserve your good health.

First, be sure to push the snow; don’t lift it. Whenever possible, use the shovel more like a plow, and push the snow aside. If you do have to lift, be sure to lift with your legs, not your back. Avoid bending and/or twisting your body as you shovel. When you bend and lift the snow, the actual weight of the snow you’re carrying increases by a factor of ten. This is why you want to keep the back as straight as possible.

This is also another reason to push, not lift. When you lift the snow onto the shovel, you tend to twist your body to get rid of it, off to the side. This is not a good idea. For the sake of your bodies, move in the direction you’re shoveling.

Take plenty of breaks; at least every five minutes. Such breaks are not only good for the back, but also for the heart. Shoveling snow actually puts a significant strain on the heart. Start exercising by standing straight up, and then stretching in the opposite direction than you’ve been bending it as you shovel.

Finally, don’t force it. Let the shovel do most of the work. This piece of advice is especially wise for those who use snowblowers. There is a tendency for users to think snowblowers are really easy, but then they tend to fight with it. Let the snowblower do what it can; don’t try to get more out of it than it’s able to give you.

If you’re healthy, learn these basic techniques, and you’ll stay that way. Of course, the best way to stay healthy when shoveling is to hire someone else to do it, but that’s another column for another day.

In the wake of a rash of high-profile incidents involving high-rise construction job sites in recent months, City of Calgary officials are calling for increased safety measures at these sites.

The construction industry has seen increased scrutiny as a result of a number of incidents of falling debris from work sites in recent months. The most tragic incident occurred on Aug. 1, when a bundle of steel fell 40 metres and killed three-year-old Michelle Krsek, and injured several other family members as they strolled along the sidewalk. Since then, there have been at least four other incidents in which debris fell from a high-rise construction site in Calgary.

Recently, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association weighed in, and insisted that companies must be more diligent about understanding the risks. They suggest that company officials and workers can become lax over time and not pay proper attention to what should be relatively simple matters, like securing building materials.

The city and Alberta officials are conducting several investigations and looking at ways to increase awareness among stakeholders of their responsibility to make job sites safe. Construction sites have safety representatives whose job is to ensure proper protocols are followed, but sometimes it’s necessary to look beyond the rules and regulations.

The stated goal of the province is to “raise the profile” of workplace safety. Overall workplace injuries in Calgary have decreased in recent years, but workplace health and safety means a lot more than the raw numbers. They stress that workplace safety must become a culture; and not just something to consider when Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors show up or when tragedy happens.

It’s just about time for winter to go into major storm mode, and maintaining the safest road conditions possible is the goal of every maintenance supervisor, as well as every snowplow operator. Proper road maintenance requires plenty of knowledge and skill, and the development of liquid chemicals provide road maintenance personnel with new options that were not available back in the day when there was only dry salt and sand.

The strategy known as pre-wetting involves the application of a liquid deicing chemical to a dry solid before or during its application to the pavement. When certain liquid chemical is applied to a particle of rock salt, the salt particle salt particle absorbs some of the liquid. That absorption increases its density, and also softens and helps dissolve the salt, as well, which keeps it on the road longer, and makes it less likely to bounce around as traffic drives over it.

As a technique, pre-wetting salt has been used since the late 1960s. Not only does pre-wetting keep the salt in place longer, which reduces salt use by as much as 30%, it also results in quicker melting. And if the right chemical is used to pre-wet the salt, it can also cause melting at a lower temperature.

Any deicing chemical, such as liquid salt, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride, can be used for pre-wetting, and it’s actually quite common for a blend to be used. By using chemicals that cause melting at lower temperatures, it’s possible to extend the salt’s usefulness, although pretty much nothing works below -12? Celsius.

The pre-wetting usually involves 35-45 litres of liquid per ton of salt. The pre-wetting can be done in the stockpile as spreader trucks are loaded, or it can also be done by spraying the salt as it’s applied to the road. The pre-wetting at the shop reduces the need for equipment, but it’s generally less effective than pre-wetting from the truck on the spot. The latter method allows for better coverage and treatment.

Many road maintenance managers also commonly pre-wet sand and other abrasives, in order to hold them onto the pavement. Pre-wetting sand at rates of 50-100 litres of liquid chemical per ton of abrasives often results in higher truck spreading speeds.