Preparing for winter weather is essential and custodial departments must put together a plan, as well as outline the products and equipment necessary to clearing show and ice. Once departments have figured out how to remove snow, they must face a new challenge — what to do with it.

When clearing show, "you don't want to stack snow where it limits visibility for traffic or people walking," advises Brian Birch, assistant executive director of the Ice and Snow Management Association in Milwaukee. "You want to make sure you stack snow in a place where if you get runoff, you know where that runoff is going to go, and you have a plan to deal with that."

For storms less than 12 inches in depth, Feist is able to stack snow adjacent to roads and walkways. For clearing show after larger storms, he closes off a portion of a parking lot for snow storage.

George Thomlison, manager of grounds, human resources and procurement, at the University of Alberta in Canada, does not have space to store snow on campus. Instead, he uses two dump trucks for hauling and clearing show off campus, and if snowfall exceeds his equipment capacity, he may have as many as 20 to 40 contracted trucks hauling snow off site.

When stacking snow on site, Birch suggests that snow removal crews consult a site map to avoid the dangers of melt and refreeze.

"Stack snow in a field out back if you can, or in areas of depression to control runoff," he advises. He also suggests that crews pay attention to the surface temperature — not just the air temperature — to determine whether or not ice is likely to form.

One of Thomlison's biggest challenges when clearing show is the freeze/thaw cycle.

"We'll have a freezing rain come through and all our sidewalks become ice-skating rinks," he says.

To prevent ice build-up, Thomlison's crew looks for areas where water tends to pool and tries to change the landscape to redirect melting snow. But he admits that sometimes there is no solution.

To prevent ice build-up — or to address it when it does happen — facilities managers use a variety of de-icing materials when clearing show. Jeff Konrad, operations manager for Salamone Supplies in Butler, Wis., sells a variety of ice-melt products. His best seller is a sodium magnesium chloride mix used for parking lots and sidewalks. Konrad advises customers not to apply the product until the first snowflakes hit the ground.

"It's usually best to wait so [the product] doesn't go directly on the concrete," he says. "If you overuse it, or the concrete isn't sealed, the surface will eventually start to chip."

Konrad also cautions customers against over-salting when clearing show.

"It leaves a mess, and when it starts to melt, you get syrup," he says. He recommends spreading the product in an even pattern, akin to spreading fertilizer on a lawn.

A United Front

In the battle of clearing show and ice, departments have an arsenal of equipment and materials at their disposal. But working together as a team is often the best motivator for handling the onslaught of bad weather.

During snowstorms, Mark Feist, assistant director of facilities management at American University in Washington, D.C., combines members of the maintenance and housekeeping staffs with grounds and landscaping staff and vehicle maintenance staff.

"They join forces, and we attack the storm as one team," he says.

Several years ago, the University of Alberta's night cleaning staff joined the snow removal team.

"It saves time for our grounds staff, but it also keeps snow out of the buildings," says Thomlison. "By moving snow away from the doorways, it doesn't get tracked into the building, and that keeps the building cleaner."

Teamwork becomes even more significant during severe storms that require staff to work around the clock.

"We have students on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week," says Feist, "so our staff is on campus from the moment a storm begins until it ends. We're responsible for maintaining a safe environment for all our students on campus."   

Kassandra Kania is a freelancer based in Charlotte, N.C. She is a frequent contributor to Housekeeping Solutions.




POSTED ON: 10/22/2012