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*[https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Salt-application-best-practices-for-winter-maintenance-contracts-brochure.pdf Salt Application Best Practices for Winter Maintenance Contracts]<ref>STEP. 2019. Salt Application Best Practices for Winter Maintenance Contracts. Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Salt-application-best-practices-for-winter-maintenance-contracts-brochure.pdf</ref>**STEP released a best practices document for winter maintenance contracts for private businesses to help reduce over-salting and ensuring that salt is applied responsibly on parking lots and walkways. The document highlights how an easy way to do this is by ensuring that businesses' snow and ice maintenance contract includes provisions requesting that industry best practices be employed and operators are adequately trained. Furthermore contracts should request evidence of knowledgeable contractor and property management staff, requiring training and certification through the [http://www.smartaboutsalt.com/training Ontario Smart about Salt Program].
→Procurement Guidance
Contracts for snow and ice management on private parking lots are typically oriented towards ensuring that plowing and salting promotes safe conditions throughout the winter, and that interruptions to regular business operations are kept to a minimum. The first thought of many people may be that applying more salt is safer for their patrons and workers but, applying more than is necessary not only harms the environment, as previously mentioned but also shortens the life of parking lot surfaces and can accelerate the process of corrosion of nearby buildings or transportation infrastructure on site, not to mention the extra cost of unnecessary road salt application. Property owners, businesses and contractors have control over how much salt is applied through their snow and ice management contracts, and the diligence with which they manage and oversee these contracts. The [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Procurement-Guidance-Parking-Lot-Snow-and-Ice-Mgmt.pdf Procurement Guidance for Parking Lot Snow and Ice Management] by STEP <ref>STEP. 2019. Procurement Guidance for Parking Lot Snow and Ice Management. Version 2.0 https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Procurement-Guidance-Parking-Lot-Snow-and-Ice-Mgmt.pdf</ref> describes various clauses and conditions that can be considered by these groups to be included in contracts to promote the responsible use of road salts. A summary of the measures are provided in with estimates of the impact on salt use, and the potential influence these may have on contract costs.
Contracts for snow and ice management on private parking lots are typically oriented towards ensuring that plowing and salting promotes safe conditions throughout the winter, and that interruptions to regular business operations are kept to a minimum. The first thought of many people may be that applying more salt is safer for their patrons and workers but, applying more than is necessary not only harms the environment, as previously mentioned but also shortens the life of parking lot surfaces and can accelerate the process of corrosion of nearby buildings or transportation infrastructure on site, not to mention the extra cost of unnecessary road salt application. Property owners, businesses and contractors have control over how much salt is applied through their snow and ice management contracts, and the diligence with which they manage and oversee these contracts. The [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Procurement-Guidance-Parking-Lot-Snow-and-Ice-Mgmt.pdf Procurement Guidance for Parking Lot Snow and Ice Management] by STEP <ref>STEP. 2019. Procurement Guidance for Parking Lot Snow and Ice Management. Version 2.0 https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Procurement-Guidance-Parking-Lot-Snow-and-Ice-Mgmt.pdf</ref> describes various clauses and conditions that can be considered by these groups to be included in contracts to promote the responsible use of road salts. A summary of the measures are provided in with estimates of the impact on salt use, and the potential influence these may have on contract costs.
===Procurement Best Practices===
Businesses can help reduce over-salting by ensuring that rock salt during the winter months is applied responsibly on parking lots and walkways. An easy way to do this is by ensuring that your snow and ice maintenance contract includes provisions requesting that industry best practices be employed and that associated operators are adequately trained.
Some BMP for procurement for rock salt application services include:
# Effective Pricing of Services: Contract pricing by a lump sum by season or a fixed sum per event (with extra costs associated with standby time) are commo9n, but a combination of both payment options in the contract may create a financial incentive for both the parking-lot owner and salt operator to require less salt.
# Accurate Salt Delivery: Updated and well-maintained salt application devices (i.e. salt spreaders) that can be calibrated to function and apply salt automatically based on the speed of the vehicle can greatly reduce the amount of rock salt applied and can better digitally track the amount used as well.
# Reducing Liability Risk: Ensuring records and evidence of when, where and how plowing and salting practices were performed on site better protect the owner of the parking lot and contractor who applied the practices from potential slip and fall lawsuits.
# Efficient Application: Consideration of pre-wetting or anti-icing with liquid salt brine before events will help accelerate the melting process during and after an event and help salt better adhere to the road/parking lot surface.
# Consideration of Chloride Alternatives: Alternatives previously mentioned on this page such as acetates, formates, agricultural by-products (beet juice) can be used instead of rock salt (where feasible) or can be used as an anti-icing / pre-wetting agent.
# Well Informed Decision Making Processes: Use of local weather forecasts, up-to-the-minute road information systems, internet based radar tracking and infrared thermometers to determine pavement temperatures can better decision making options that save time on salt, contractor crew capacity and money.
# Trained Professionals: Requesting evidence of experience and requiring training and certification through the [http://www.smartaboutsalt.com/training Ontario Smart about Salt Program] will help to ensure that the contractor selected and property management staff have the skills necessary to implement best practices for road salt application.
To learn more about STEP's [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Salt-application-best-practices-for-winter-maintenance-contracts-brochure.pdf Salt Application Best Practices document for Winter Maintenance Contracts]<ref>STEP. 2019. Salt Application Best Practices for Winter Maintenance Contracts. Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/Salt-application-best-practices-for-winter-maintenance-contracts-brochure.pdf</ref> click on the hyperlink.
==Parking Lot Friction Testing==
==Parking Lot Friction Testing==