“Ice melt plays a major role in preventing slip-and-fall accidents, because it rids surfaces of ice,” says Kevin Wice, president of XYNYTH Manufacturing Corp. in British Columbia, Canada. Falls represent a huge liability issue in many areas, as many regulatory bodies have legislation that requires a business to take some action to prevent people from slipping and falling. By doing nothing, business-owners open themselves up to legal action.
When a storm dumps snow, a housekeeping manager may not see a need to put down ice melt as long as the parking lots and sidewalks have been shoveled. Underneath that snow, however, is typically a thin but dangerous layer of ice that would be obsolete if ice melt was used. Conversely, some managers only use ice melt after a major weather event, however, even a light dusting of snow can lead to slippery conditions if the snow melts and refreezes as the day wears on.
“Good snow and ice control is definitely a large part of slip-and-fall prevention,” says George D. Lutz, quality assurance technical services manager for Cargill, headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn. “One slip-and-fall accident buys an awful lot of ice melt.”
Mistake #2:
Using too much
Too often, cleaners believe that if a little ice melt does a good, than a lot must do a better job. In fact, according to manufacturers, less is usually more when it comes to ice melt. Overusing ice melt can lead to the product being unnecessarily tracked into the facility. It may also burn the vegetation beneath or around where the product is used.
- See more at: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Ice-Melt-Dos-and-Donts--5191#sthash.HpX8HdAn.atfSE5gg.dpuf
