Council Snow Warden
The Snow Warden for Elsham is Larraine Guest - tel 01652 680679
North Lincs Council have various information, including their policy document for winter snow clearance, which can be found on the North Lincs Web site - please follow this link.
http://www.northlincs.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/roads/winter-service/?locale=en
(Some of the files are a large pdf files - up to 58 pages long, so it may take a short while to download)
North Lincs Council have also published somee advice on snow clearance and information about snow wardens. this is shown below :-
North Lincolnshire Council Parish Snow Warden Scheme
What is the Snow Warden Scheme?
In response to the Winter Service consultation process over the summer of 2011,
there was overwhelming support for the idea of “Snow Wardens” to be established
within those Parishes that wished to participate. Furthermore North Lincolnshire
has agreed to supply each Parish with 3 salt bins and a 2 tonne supply of bulk salt.
The bins and salt are meant to enable each parish to respond to the local needs of
their communities and the Parish Snow Wardens are encouraged to develop local
priorities for snow and ice clearance and to include those within their Community
Emergency Plans. Furthermore the Parish Snow Wardens will provide a point of
contact within the communities, which will enable direct liaison with their appointed
Lead Snow Warden during the winter period. An elected North Lincolnshire Council
Member (Councillor) has been identified as a “Lead Snow Warden” for each
Parish, and they will be supported by local volunteer Parish Snow Wardens. The
Lead Snow Warden will have direct contact with the Winter Service Control Room.
Can the parish and town councils use the provided salt anywhere?
In general terms the salt is for use on public areas only. It is not intended to be
provided for the general public to clear their own driveways, paths etc. It is up to
the Parish Councils to define their own priorities for clearance and any salt
spreading within their communities. The emphasis is on encouraging the clearance
of snow from footpaths and then spreading a very thin layer of salt once the area is
clear of snow.
Sounds ok in theory, but what does that mean in a bit more detail?
North Lincolnshire Council is encouraging each parish / town council that wishes to
participate, to look around their parish and identify areas that the local community
will need to access during periods of heavy snow which would not be treated by
North Lincolnshire Council Highways. The kind of locations which may be
considered important by the local community are footpaths outside doctors
surgeries, the footpaths outside local shops and services, access routes to the
main bus stops etc. It will be for the parish council to decide whether sites will
constitute ‘priority sites’.
The Parish Council and Parish Snow Wardens may wish to make contact with local
residents or shop keepers and ask them to help out with the scheme and volunteer
to clear snow and spread salt. Any volunteers should be advised what will be
required of them in the event of snowfall. Volunteers should be confident they can
clear the snow from the priority area, that they have access to suitable equipment
and are confident they are physically able to undertake the activity. The Parish
Council should keep a record of all the priority sites identified and who is
volunteering at each site. If heavy snowfall comes it will be for the volunteer to
decide if they feel able to undertake the activity safely and if so to attempt to clear
the snow under the direction of the Parish Snow Warden.
What is suitable equipment for clearing snow and spreading salt?
The most important thing is to look after yourself. If at any point you don’t feel
confident to complete the task then you should not participate.
Clearing snow is hard physical work so if you volunteer make sure you can do it,
ensure that you take plenty of breaks and know when to stop. Suitable clothing
goes without saying, boots or wellington boots and plenty of warm and water proof
clothing. 25% of your body heat is lost through your head and hands so wear
gloves and a hat.
If you are working near the road it is advisable to be as visible as
possible and wear reflective vest/jacket.
When working, the body will build up a sweat so be prepared to shed layers as you
work.
The tools required could be found in most garden sheds:
Plastic light weight snow shovels or wide bladed shovels are the most appropriate
tools.
A regular metal shovel is the next best alternative but not as efficient as the snow
will stick to it and need to be cleared regularly.
To spread the salt you could use a domestic grass spreader or lawn feeder (make
sure you wash out any salt before using on grass unless you want to kill your
lawn!).
A small scoop or garden trowel to distribute the salt, if doing it by hand.
A wheel barrow to move tools, carry salt or move snow.
I am a Parish Snow Warden, how will I know if it is going to snow?
Keep an eye on the local weather forecasts. The Met Office
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_weather.html produce regular
weather updates. The Winter Service Control Room at North Lincolnshire Council
Highways, receives more detailed weather information, and monitors a number of
weather stations around the area 24 hours a day. If a severe weather event is a
high probability we would endeavour to pass information out as early as possible to
the Lead Snow Wardens, for information to be cascaded to Parish Snow Wardens.
If I volunteer to clear snow, is there a risk of being sued if someone then has
an accident?
Over recent years there has been a growing urban myth that if you clear snow from
an area, if someone then has an accident you would be held liable. Central
Government has issued guidance confirming it is unlikely you’ll be sued or held
legally responsible for any injuries on the path if you have cleared it carefully. This
is contained within the “Snow Code” issued by the Department for Transport and
included within the Winter Service Policy issued by North Lincolnshire Council. The
information overleaf provides further practical guidance on snow clearance.
A simple how to guide for snow clearing for Local
Snow Wardens
During the winter months North Lincolnshire Council Highways are often contacted
by members of the public requesting that we come out to salt their local road as it
is iced over. In response we decline the request stating that their road, if it is not
already on an identified precautionary or secondary salting route, does not comply
with policy, and therefore we would not be gritting their road. We further advise that
even if we had the resource spare, quite often salt alone will not remove ice without
sufficient trafficking etc.
The Parish salt bin scheme and the supply of salt bags to the Parishes is our
attempt to try to support these areas which fall outside our winter service policy and
for which North Lincolnshire Council Highways does not have the capacity or
resource to deliver a direct service to. Along with supplying salt we felt that
supporting information may be useful to hopefully answer some of the questions
around snow clearance and explain how salt works, highlighting to the Snow
Wardens things to consider so they can participate efficiently and safely.
The following information is provided to act as a simple guide on how to clear snow
and spread salt. It should clear up any common misconceptions around the snow
and ice clearing process. It is provided to offer a basic understanding of the
process and to highlight some of the things to consider if you undertake snow
clearance and salt spreading. It expands upon advice provided by the Department
for Transport within their “Snow Code” document, which is included within North
Lincolnshire Council’s Winter Service Policy 2011.
Salt
The most popular de-icing material is salt or sodium chloride. Rock salt, which is
the product North Lincs Council use on the highway, is a mined salt. The majority
of rock salt used in the UK comes from mines located in Cleveland, Winsford
(Cheshire) and County Antrim.
How salt works
Water has a freezing point of 0 °C. When salt is dissolved into the water / moisture
on the highway it lowers the freezing point. The freezing point will depend on the
levels of concentration. Sea water has a low concentration of about 5% and will
freeze at -2°C. When temperatures get down to about -6°C, the levels of salt
required preventing freezing become impractical. Salt stops being effective below
this temperature.
With regard to snow and ice, salt is generally ineffective when spread upon
compacted snow/ice. For salt to work effectively, moisture is required for it to
dissolve into. Without some trafficking or perhaps ambient temperatures increasing
to permit a film of moisture to develop on the surface, salt will be ineffective. In
general terms, to clear snow and ice it must be manually removed by hand.
Basic Principles
Removing or dealing with snow is basic common sense. Before going into details
there are a few principles that need to be understood that will make the job easier.
The only effective way of removing snow is by mechanical means or put simply -
hard graft and elbow grease!
Undisturbed snow is the easiest to remove as once walked on it becomes compact
and turns to ice, making it more difficult to work with.
Pre-salting an area prior to snow is useful in preventing the compacted snow from
bonding to the pavement surface but it will not remove snow on its own.
Once the area has been cleared of snow a very thin layer of salt should be spread
to prevent any melt water from refreezing on the pavement creating a risk of black
ice.
Suitable Tools
Plastic light weight snow shovels or wide bladed shovels are the most appropriate
tools.
A regular metal shovel is the next best alternative but not as efficient, as the snow
will stick to it and need to be cleared regularly.
To spread the salt you could use a domestic grass spreader or lawn feeder (make
sure you wash out any salt before using on grass unless you want to kill the
grass!).
A small scoop or garden trowel to distribute the salt, if doing it by hand.
A wheel barrow to move tools, carry salt or move snow.
Looking after yourself
The most important thing is to look after is yourself. If at any point you don’t feel
confident to complete the task then you should not participate.
Clearing snow can be hard physical work so make sure participants are up to it.
Ensure they take plenty of breaks and know when to stop. Suitable clothing goes
without saying, boots or wellington boots and plenty of warm and water proof
clothing. 25% of your body heat is lost through your head and hands so wear
gloves and a hat. When working, the body will build up a sweat so be prepared to
shed layers as you work.
Planning the work
Before the snow comes there are some key tasks that each Snow Warden may
wish to consider, which may make your life easier when the snow has arrived.
Firstly, define the areas which you will take on responsibility for and clear the snow
from. Walk the route and identify where there is open space, grass verges, and
front gardens into which snow can be deposited. Store the equipment and salt in a
location that will remain accessible when there is snow.
Consider the risks that you may face when undertaking the task of snow clearance
and write all the information on the provided risk assessment form.
Preparing yourself for snow clearing
Before venturing outside make sure you are properly kitted out with warm clothing
and suitable footwear.
Make sure you are close to a suitable refuge (building or vehicle) so you can take
shelter in case the weather turns inclement or people get too cold. You can also
use the refuge to take plenty of rests as the work is very physical.
If you are working near the road it is advisable to be as visible as possible and
wear reflective vest/jacket.
If you are working alone ensure you have informed someone of where you are and
how long you intend to be, have a charged mobile phone with you and remain in
contact every 1-2hrs and inform friends/family of any changes to location or
estimated return time.
Those not used to physical work will tire quickly so be very conservative with what
you think you can achieve. As a guide, an experienced labourer could only be
expected to clear and treat by hand 50m of footway per hour.
Clearing the snow
Go out as early as possible so you can move the snow before it becomes
compacted by people walking over it.
Ideally, when clearing a path you should aim to clear sufficient width to allow two
pedestrians to pass and follow the most likely route taken by users. The cleared
space should be widened at bus stops and areas where pedestrians congregate.
The cleared snow should be deposited in verges, front gardens or areas that are
non trafficked – i.e. to the side of the pavement. It should not be deposited in the
carriageway or drainage gullies as this will prevent melt water draining away,
risking it refreezing and turning to black ice.
Care should be taken to avoid blocking access to properties, driveways and paths.
Spreading the Salt
Clearing the snow allows the sun to warm up the pavement surface temperature
which aids the process of melting and evaporating any remaining snow and ice.
Where salt is available it can be spread on to the cleared pavement. This will help
prevent the melt water refreezing and turning to black ice.
The amount of salt required to treat an area is much less than you think. As a guide
15 -20g/m² (about a very small hand full) should be sufficient to clear and protect a
1m (3ft) length of cleared surface. Provided the surface is cleared and uniformly
treated it is possible to treat 400m of footway with a 20kg bag.
A method for spreading salt if being done by hand is to have the salt on a small
trowel and gently shake it off as you walk along. A large shovel will be heavy to
hold and one blade will contain sufficient salt to cover 80m. Spreading salt from a
shovel is very inefficient and wasteful. One method that could be considered is the
use of small plastic domestic garden fertiliser / seed spreaders. This gave an even
coverage, was less labour intensive and quicker.
Remember, salt does not remove snow or compact ice and spreading salt in thick
layers will only be wasteful, harmful to the environment and create a mess which
will lead to complaints from local residents and shop keepers who have the salt
walked into their properties.
Pre-salt in preparation for snow
Pre-treatment before the onset of snow is a possible action and is advisable for
areas likely to be trafficked before clearing operations can start or for key locations.
The salt will not stop the snow settling but create a layer of moisture that will freeze
at a lower temperature than the snow that is settling above it. Effectively this layer
of salt helps stop the snow sticking to the pavement, making life a lot easier when it
comes to removing the snow.
Pre-salting before the snow will not remove snow but it will reduce the risk of
compacted snow bonding with the pavement surface.
Compacted Ice
If you are too late and the snow has compacted and bonded to the pavement
surface, do not despair. It is only possible to remove it via mechanical means – that
good old elbow grease again! However, this will be hard work and not very
productive.
The salt that we have provided will give a very small amount of traction by sitting
on top of the ice but it will dissolve over time. It may be better to utilise a cheaper
and more effective product such as coarse graded or sharp sand (not Builders
Sand) and spread this uniformly over the ice to provide traction (alternatives
include grit, cinders or cat litter). As people walk over the ice and sand the pressure
will embed the sand providing a long term solution. If you do use sand or grit the
only draw back is that pavement will need sweeping once the thaw has taken
place!
