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.

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.

There is a new law in Saskatchewan designed to help keep snowplow operators safe while working on the highway, and all operators should be aware of it.

Saskatchewan motorists will now be required by law to slow to 60 kmh when passing snowplows and other highway vehicles whenever warning lights are flashing, whether such vehicles are moving along the road or stopped on the side.

The new law comes in the wake of the death of a 25-year veteran snowplow driver, who was killed this past January, as he assisted a stranded motorist on the highway near Belle Plaine.

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The Highways Ministry has 300 snowplows stationed at 85 locations across the province, and they are on the road before, during and after storms and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new law took effect on July 1, and is in line with existing law requiring motorists to slow to 60 kmh for emergency vehicles and tow trucks stopped on the highway, or when passing highway workers in the orange zone. Fines for all of these offences start at $140.

Where can a person smoke these days, anyway? Obviously, you can smoke in your own home, and on your own property. Just as obviously, you can’t smoke in any workplaces, when you work with other people; that’s why you see the gaggle of folks outside in the snow huddling together to get in a few drags during a slow part of their work day. But what if you’re a truck driver and your workplace is your truck? It should be safe, right?

Well, that question may have been answered with a big “no” in Ontario, where police recently pulled over a 48-year-old trucker and slapped him with a ticket under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, meaning he faces a possible $305 fine for lighting up while driving his big rig along Canada’s busiest highway.

According to the text of the law on the government’s web site, the law forbids smoking in all workplaces and enclosed public spaces, including buildings, structures or vehicles worked in or frequented by employees. Examples on the web site include the inside of a trailer office on a construction site, the inside of a loading dock, or the inside of a delivery truck. Ontario police insist that the law is very specific about what constitutes a “workplace,” and a truck would fall under that definition.

Predictably, the Ontario Trucking Association feels that the definitions don’t quite apply to truckers, especially those who operate in other provinces or the United States, and they feel it most certainly should not apply to truckers who operate their own rigs and work alone.

Apparently, others should be worried about this stepped-up enforcement. According to some government officials, even a farmer’s enclosed tractor would be considered a work environment under the law, and he could be fined if he decided to light up. Presumably, if you’re operating your snow plow or other heavy equipment, even if you’re all alone, you’d best pull over and get out of your equipment before lighting up.

The enforcement push may not be limited to Ontario. A number of other Canadian provinces and territories have enacted stringent anti-tobacco laws prohibiting smoking in covered public places and workplaces, like restaurants and bars, as well. According to Alberta’s Health Ministry, it is technically possible for a trucker to be fined there, as well. Under Alberta’s law, the cab of a truck is considered a workplace if the driver is not alone in the rig.

So, be careful when you decide to light up; you could be hit with an unexpected expense.

These days, snow removal managers have a significant number of equipment options available, and part of the mix is a variety of deicing and anti-icing chemicals. Knowing how each of these chemicals works can go a long way to ensuring that road and walkway surfaces are as safe and snow-and-ice-free as possible. Granular materials have become a popular and effective method for maintaining safe conditions during and after a storm, but the best management of snow and ice requires an understanding of the difference between deicing and anti-icing chemicals.

There is a slight difference between deicing and anti-icing chemicals. Deicing involves the application of ice-control products to surfaces to melt existing snow and ice. Crews perform deicing after snow-removal operations to melt remaining snow and ice. On the other hand, anti-icing involves the application of melting products to surfaces before a storm, to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement, which allows snowplows and workers with shovels to clear the surfaces more easily. Anti-icing can create an advantage as a cost-effective alternative to deicing. But decision-makers shouldn’t rely on one method or another, because every chemical and every storm is different.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a fancy name for salt, and it’s the most common deicer in use in moderately cold weather. Salt loses its effectiveness in very cold conditions, down to -5 degrees Celsius, however. In some instances, when the temperature gets colder, managers choose to overuse it, in an attempt to make up for its lack of performance. There is also a tendency to mix sand and salt for deicing, because the addition of the sand aids in improving traction, although it also reduces the amount of salt workers can apply, so there is less deicing. That practice is also increasingly being discouraged because of the extra clean-up that is necessary, and because of the environmental risks involved.

Another common deicing agent is calcium chloride (CaCl). Calcium chloride is a bit more expensive than salt, but it’s effective down to about -29 degrees Celsius, so it works better in very cold weather. CaCl is an exothermic salt, meaning it releases heat as it melts the ice. It melts ice faster than most other deicing agents, but it tends to cause condensation from the air after melting the ice, which can sometimes result in pavements remaining moist and refreezing. Also, the ice expansion that results from calcium chloride application can cause surface damage, and the freeze-thaw cycles can lead surface flaking or chipping. CaCl also can be more corrosive to metals, which means more potential damage to vehicles.

Magnesium chloride is another exothermic salt similar to CaCl, and is often used as an anti-icing agent. Because it absorbs moisture from the air, it is very fast-acting when applied as a solid and mixed with sand or salt. Crews can even spread Magnesium Chloride directly on pavement as a liquid before a storm arrives. In temperatures ranging from -9 to -20 degrees Celsius, it is more effective than NaCl, but less effective than calcium chloride.

It is absolutely essential to the success of snow and ice removal plans that managers evaluate equipment options and maximize the effectiveness of anti-icing and deicing materials. Managers must consider weather conditions and environmental effects in deciding which deicing or anti-icing chemical to use.

A 23-year-old British Columbia flag woman is in critical condition after being hit by a SUV while working on Highway 10 in Delta last week. The accident happened just before 7 AM. The 29-year-old SUV driver remained at the scene and was taken in by police, although he was later released. The investigation is ongoing and a charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm is being considered.

This incident underscores the dangers faced by road construction flaggers every day. Overall, the road construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in British Columbia, and flaggers provide an easy target for distracted motorists. According to WorkSafeBC, since 1994 three flaggers have been killed. The number of fatalities is way down since 2003, when the province created a program to certify traffic control workers, but injury claims have remained steady, with 417 approved disability claims between 2004 and 2008.

Traffic control flaggers in British Columbia receive the highest level of training in Canada. Every flagger is required to complete an intensive two-day training and certification program, and must pass a written test covering job and safety precautions, devised by the Construction Safety Network, WorkSafeBC and BC Road Builders, before they can even begin the job. To date, more than 30,000 flaggers have completed the program.

But it’s not just the flaggers’ responsibility to keep themselves safe. Employers and drivers must do their part, as well.

As a supervisor, don’t just assume that a flagger is safe because he or she has been certified. Make sure the flagger has the temperament to take on the job, and is unlikely to freeze in an emergency. And make sure they’re fully equipped to do their job properly. Flaggers should obviously be equipped with a STOP/SLOW paddle that can be seen from a good distance away, but they should also be equipped with a whistle, a pencil and notepad, a two-way radio, drinking water and a jacket, in case the weather changes. If work is going on at night, be sure that flaggers are wearing reflective clothing, and are equipped with a flashlight and extra batteries. Be sure that the flagger station is located so that approaching drivers have enough distance to stop safely, and that sufficient warning signs and safety cones are placed well before the construction area, so that drivers have enough warning to be able to stop.

And drivers; pay attention. When you see a warning sign saying there’s a flagger ahead, assume there’s a worker standing in the middle of the road with a sign directing traffic and slow down. Put down the cell phone, stop changing the radio, and lighting the cigarette can wait a few minutes. According to industry officials, it is far too common for motorists to put flaggers at risk by disobeying, misunderstanding or ignoring the flagger’s actions. While flaggers have a responsibility to protect the other workers at the job site, drivers have a responsibility to proceed through a construction site with caution, to keep the workers, including the flaggers, safe. No one’s meeting is so important as to put the lives of others at risk. When in doubt, stop. When the flagger gives the okay to proceed, do so slowly. And that means SLOWLY.

Everyone has a responsibility to keep flaggers safe. Flaggers owe it to themselves to make sure they get and use comprehensive training. Employers and supervisors must make sure their flaggers are prepared for anything, and that everything possible is being done to protect them. And motorists, please remember; driving entails a responsibility to everyone along the way. Take responsibility, and keep everyone safe.

I know, a messy car seems innocent enough. You throw stuff in the back with every intention of putting in the garage or throwing it away, but you just never seem to find the time. And the more you throw back there, the less inclined you are to clean up your act. Look back there; there’s a small toolbox; a golf club you’ve been meaning to take to the pro shop for repair; the tackle box from the last time you went fishing – was that a year ago already? A couple of bottles of soda you forgot about, and now they’ve been heated and cooled so much, you’re sure they won’t taste right. But you keep forgetting to throw them away.

Would you like some incentive to clean the car immediately? How would you feel if, by cleaning out your messy car, you increased your odds of surviving an accident? Would that be enough to get you to do it?

The fact is, loose objects inside cars become dangerous flying projectiles if you brake quickly or you’re involved in a collision. And it’s not just the stuff in the back seat that creates a problem anymore. The way some passenger cars are designed these days, some objects stored in the trunk or behind the back seat can fly out of their compartments and strike passengers.

According to the National Roads and Motorists’ Association, if you are forced to brake suddenly, while traveling at 50 kmh, a one-litre bottle of water or soda could hit you with a force equivalent to 20 kilograms. Sudden braking from that speed would mean that bag of groceries or that golf club could hit you or one of your passengers with the same force as if it was dropped on you from a three storey building. When a car decelerates violently, the force of gravity created means a loose object can pack as much as 20 times the punch it would normally. This goes for passengers and pets, as well; make sure all passengers wear seatbelts, and consider a per carrier or a pet harness when you travel, or they, too, could become projectiles under certain circumstances.

If that’s not enough to scare you, think about the fact that loose objects have been known to cause serious accidents when they’ve become lodged under the gas and/or brake pedals.

There; now, you have incentive to clean out your car. Right?

Back in March 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) awarded its first Performance-Based Area Maintenance Contract (AMC) in the York contract area, north of Toronto. This type of contract is far different from previous contracts in three significant ways.

First, the new AMC takes what the MTO calls a ‘one window approach’, in which maintenance, low-complexity capital improvements, and data gathering are all assigned to a single contractor covering a specific geographic area over several years. Secondly, the new contracts emphasize performance-based requirements with results-based oversight by MTO. The third difference is that contractors must now acquire and maintain ISO certification as a condition of the contract.

In previous years, the Ministry would contract all three of the above separately. With the new contracts, they are hoping to ensure more efficient services and better pricing, by bundling low complexity capital work and data gathering with a contractor who’s already working in and familiar with the area. New AMC contractors will perform low complexity capital work assigned by the MTO, as well as work that they propose in extra work reports, once approved by MTO. More complex capital work will continue to be identified and contracted separately from AMCs.

Before now, AMCs were narrowly method-based, and contract compliance was measured using time-based methods of oversight, which were quite labour-intensive. The new, performance-based AMCs require results-based oversight, based on pre-determined performance requirements. Results-based oversight is intended to hold contractors accountable to their tasks, allow for contractor innovation, and produce higher quality results, with less MTO supervision. Contract compliance is based on standard performance requirements for consistency, as well as specific contract requirements intended to address the needs of a particular area

New AMC contractors must also be ISO-certified for quality management system and environmental management system. ISO-certification is intended to assure that the new AMC contractors meet internationally recognized quality business standards and are subject to independent, third-party audits.

The new AMC template will give the ministry far more flexibility to create contracts that will serve specific areas, and they’ll allow contractors to be more innovative, while also meeting the performance requirements of ministry contracts.

There seems to be a lot of fear and trepidation on the part of the average driver when you bring up the subject of roundabouts. But they’re really not that scary, when you know a little about them.

As pretty much anyone who drives would agree, two of the most irritating problems on the roads are traffic congestion and vehicle accidents, especially for those who drive in cities. Traffic flow is a difficult process in many areas, even under the best of circumstances. While they may seem scary because they’re different, roundabouts, which are used at intersections in place of stop signs and traffic signals, are increasingly seen as a solution to the problem. And they actually work quite well.

In those areas where roundabouts have been installed, motor vehicle accidents overall have declined an average of 40%, and accidents involving injuries have been reduced by about 80%. And they are not only safer. Roundabouts create a significant improvement in traffic flow, reducing vehicle delays, as well as fuel consumption and air pollution.

The modern version of the roundabout was developed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, but they are now widely used all over the world. The modern roundabout in Canada is a circular intersection designed to promote safe and efficient traffic flow by guiding them counter-clockwise around a raised center island, with entering traffic yielding the right of way to those vehicles already in the circle. Rural roundabouts are designed to slow traffic down to about 50 kmh, while urban roundabouts usually feature tighter curves, which are designed to slow traffic to 20-30 kmh. Within the roundabout itself, slower speeds are maintained by the deflection of traffic around the center island and the relatively tight radius, which aids in the smooth movement of vehicles into, around and out of the roundabout. Drivers who approach a roundabout must reduce their speeds, look for possible conflicts with traffic already negotiating the circle, and watch out for approaching pedestrians.

Several roundabout features promote safety. Roundabouts essentially eliminate the most common and potentially most serious types of accidents at traditional intersections with stop signs or traffic signals, such as right-angle, left-turn, and head-on collisions. These types of crashes are virtually impossible because vehicles travel in the same direction, and must slow down to negotiate the turn. Roundabouts also tend to reduce the likelihood of serious rear-end crashes, because there’s no incentive for drivers to speed up for yellow lights, or to stop abruptly at red lights.

Roundabouts are actually quite easy to drive. They seem a bit intimidating at first, because they’re different, but that’s their purpose; they’re designed to keep traffic flowing through an intersection, while slowing it down. There is no reason to be nervous; you just have to be aware.

There are always signs as you approach a roundabout. Watch for them, and note the advisory speed limit for that roundabout. As you approach, slow down and watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Continue to the roundabout, look to your left, and be sure to yield to traffic already in the circle. Once you see a gap, enter the circle and proceed to your exit. But as you exit, look for pedestrians.

Once in a while, usually in less densely populated areas, or when there are intersections of more than two streets, you might encounter a two-lane roundabout. For these, you’ll encounter two signs; one to advise you there’s a roundabout ahead, and the second to tell you which lane to choose for which exit. You should be careful to choose a lane before you enter the roundabout. If this sounds difficult, it’s not. Just choose the same lane you would choose if you were approaching a standard intersection. Stay to the right if you plan to either go straight or turn right, and choose the left lane if you want to go straight or turn left. To make a U-Turn, choose the left lane.

For more information, including a couple of good flash movies demonstrating how to use roundabouts, Go to this web site, which has been set up by the province of British Columbia. Don’t be afraid, just be aware and you’ll be fine.

A young Alberta landscape worker was killed last week when he was struck by a vehicle just as he wrapped up a job in Edmonton. The accident happened just days short of his 19th birthday.

The accident happened as the employee of Land Tec Landscaping Contractors Ltd was picking up traffic pylons behind a company truck, according to Alberta Employment and Immigration (AEI). The truck was slowly backing up in the left northbound lane, close to a median that separated north and southbound lanes, when the worker was struck by a northbound vehicle and fatally crushed against the back of the landscape truck.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is investigating the accident along with AEI. According to their preliminary investigation, the worker had just finished planting shrubs and trees and performing maintenance duties on the grassy median. Land Tec Landscaping Contractors had been contracted by the City of Edmonton to perform the work.

Of course, this accident occurred just before Alberta Transportation announced that the number of traffic fatalities decreased from 456 to 410 between 2007 and 2008, a reduction of about 10.5%, despite the fact that the number of traffic collisions increased 2.7% during the same period.