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SPECIAL SECTION 20 October 2015 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com For further protection, a contractor may consider taking pictures after a job. This proves that an area was serviced at a certain time and that snow piles were kept outside of drivers' line of sight. PUT TIME ON YOUR SIDE Preventative steps must also be taken on the jobsite to reduce liability exposure. One way for contractors to do this is to put time on their side. Many snow and ice management firms focus on getting more contracts, and then fail to fulfill them in a timely manner. Instead, contractors should plan response times for clients and ensure they can provide adequate service for all. This prevents calls from impatient clients, as well as reduces liability exposure, because the longer snow and ice remain on a property, the greater chance of a slip-and-fall incident. Also, service agreements should not state that a client's property will be serviced by a certain time of the day. In other words, contractors shouldn't guarantee an 8 a.m. cleanup, because snow may continue to fall into the afternoon. Instead, they should offer to have the lot cleared within a certain number of hours of the snow event. This method allows greater control of the business, and allows them to charge a premium rate for a quick response time or a discount rate for less urgent accounts. EQUIP FOR SUCCESS A snow and ice management provider should be careful not to take on jobs that are inappropriate for its equipment. The temptation of a large, high-paying job is tough to decline, but a contractor only increases his or her liability exposure by attempting to take on demanding commercial properties with only a five-foot plow. On the other hand, using equipment that's too large or aggressive for a particular job can be detrimental as well. For example, decorative concrete surfaces can be caught and damaged by heavy plow blades. In this case, perhaps a snow broom attachment would provide a better option. A relatively new approach in snow removal, these brooms are capable of pushing several inches of snow while virtually eliminating the chance of damaging the surface below. When considering new equipment, better tools usually offer better liability protection. For example, a spreader with an independently controlled auger and spinner can spread deicing material more precisely than those that use other distribution methods. This precision control not only provides the contractor with increased material efficiency and lowered costs, but it also helps reduce potential property damage. Putting the material where it's needed, rather than flinging it into environmentally sensitive areas, passing or parked vehicles, or other property is just one more step to keep your cold-weather service out of hot water. Otherwise, when it comes to the plow blade, make sure it's equipped with proper edge markers. It's a very basic accessory, but being able to clearly see where the edges of your plow reside helps keep it in the snow and away from any sensitive property. The key to equipment considerations is to work within its logical capabilities or to gear up for the jobs you want to address. Doing so means a more efficient operation, happier customers and the reduction of easily avoidable liability issues. MELT AWAY EXPOSURE Another way to reduce liability exposure is to work with the storm by either pretreating a property, or by servicing it immediately. If a property is pretreated, the deicer product prevents bonds from forming between the pavement and ice, making an area much easier to plow later. If a few inches of snow fall before the property is serviced, the snow may have been packed down by cars and therefore much harder to plow. And since icy spots are more likely to remain after plowing packed snow, a slip-and-fall incident is more likely to occur. Also, contractors should offer a variety of ice-melting products, rather than just sodium chloride, or salt, which is the only product used by many contractors. As mentioned earlier, sodium chloride loses its effectiveness as the temperature falls below 20 degrees. Consequently, if a contractor spreads it at a temperature of 10 degrees, and a person slips on the treated ice, a contractor may be found negligent if he did not offer a more appropriate product. To improve the effectiveness of salt, many contractors mix it with sand, which provides traction while the salt absorbs sunlight and slowly breaks up the ice. This is a better option than using only salt, but still may not be as efficient as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride or other ice melting products that quickly melt ice at low temperatures. All this talk about liability can be overwhelming, and a bit frightening, but it shouldn't scare you away from the lucrative business of snow and ice management. The steps listed are easy to implement, and you can rest easy knowing how to use better business practices to protect yourself from liability exposure. Like driving a car, we understand the risks associated with it. However, we wear a seatbelt for protection in an accident, and we exercise safe driving tactics so that doesn't happen. In snow and ice management, insurance is the seatbelt, liability reduction methods are the safe driving tactics, and the smile on your face is from peace of mind. Michael Frank is product marketing manager at SnowEx, www. snowexproducts.com. LI