Snow Manager spring 2018 issue

Issue 1 – 2018

Clearing the cables Alex Fraser Bridge receives cable-collar upgrade to prevent ice bombs

Light it up PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40934510

Provincial and state departments work to increase plow visibility

Five common mistakes to avoid when preparing your snowplow for storage

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Light it up: Provincial and state departments work to increase plow visibility.........................................

Five common mistakes to avoid when preparing your snowplow for storage..............

The ice road to Churchill...................................................

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The lion in winter: Arctic Snow and Ice Products of Frankfort, Ill. withstands a blizzard of competitors as it remains on top of a rapidlyevolving marketplace......................................................... 14 Clearing the cables: Alex Fraser Bridge receives cable-collar upgrade to prevent ice bombs.................................................................................

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Managing marijuana use in the workplace............

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Published by: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 www.delcommunications.com President David Langstaff Publisher Jason Stefanik Managing Editor Bailey Hildebrand-Russell Contributing Writers Jodie Gilroy, Catherine LeClerc, Kelsey Saunders Sales Manager Dayna Oulion Toll Free: 1.866.424.6398 Advertising Sales Jennifer Hebert, Gladwyn Nickel Magazine Consultant Gladwyn Nickel Production services provided by S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Art Director Kathy Cable Layout / Advertising Art Dave Bamburak | Dana Jensen

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Please contact DEL Communications Inc. Two issues for $12.00 © Copyright 2018 DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0G5 Printed in Canada 04/2018

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Provincial and state departments work to increase plow visibility

By Bailey Hildebrand-Russell Across Canada, most winter maintenance vehicles are equipped with orange and yellow flashing lights in effort to warn drivers to stay a safe distance away. But several American states find a different-coloured light works better to notify drivers of equipment and, as a result, prevent crashes.

Ohio has been using strobing green lights on snow plows since 2012. More recently in spring 2016, a bill passed in the state of Michigan amending the Michigan Vehicle Code allowing state, county and municipal agencies responsible for snow removal and other winter maintenance activities to use green lights in addition to amber lights on snow plows. That following winter, 70 per cent of Michigan’s 83 county road commissions used green flashing, rotating or

oscillating lights on winter maintenance vehicles, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT); but not without the lights being tested two years prior in Kent County with great success.

“We haven’t had any rear-end accidents with the green lights on the trucks that we’ve had for the past two years and that’s what we’re really trying to eliminate,” Jerry Byrne, Kent County Road Commission deputy managing director, said in a news release . “Folks slow down and don’t rearend the backs of the trucks. We’ve had injury incidents in the past, so our goal is to spend a little money to save the number of accidents.”

Why green?

According to MDOT, studies suggest people can differentiate more shades of green than any other colour.

“Our visual system would be more attracted to a bright green light versus a bright white flashing light in a heavy snowstorm,” Dr. Bernie Tekiele of the Michigan Eye Institute said in an informational video released by MDOT. “That reason would be because of the contrast that exists between the green and white snow, number one, and number two, our visual system is piqued to be sensitive to the green/ yellow spectrum. That is where most of the overlap occurs in the cone designation of the cells that we have in our retina.”

That means greater visibility of winter maintenance vehicles using green lights and less crashes with truck operators and motorists, particularly rear-end incidents.

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ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

In addition to the safety aspect, the lights aren’t too costly.

In most cases, it’s a switch of the lens covering the light on existing vehicles in the fleet. On new trucks, it’s the same amount of work as a plain amber or white light.

“The cost, really, to the state is just the lens on the back of a light. It’s small. Something less than $100 per truck,” Mark Geib, MDOT engineer of operations field services, said in a release. “So, since we put lights on anyway, in time there’s really going to be no additional cost to speak of.”

Coinciding with the new lights, MDOT has rolled out an informational campaign called When Green Means Slow.

Meanwhile Byrne said there likely won’t be any confusion between green traffic lights and the lights on snow plows.

winter of 2013-2014, the ministry decided blue and amber LED lights should augment the conspicuity panel in an “H” shape to show the height and width of the vehicle to other drivers. The research also suggested “that the existing roof lighting on snow removal vehicles be replaced with an amber and blue LED light bar.”

According to the ministry, research demonstrated that blue stands out the most both day and night, and also that a combination of coloured lights is more attention-grabbing than a single colour. •

“These green lights are going to be flashing,” Byrne said in the When Green Means Slow video. “You’re going to come up to the back of these trucks, it’s flashing, it’s a quick flash.

It’s not a green light at a traffic signal. It’s going to catch your attention. Most of the jurisdictions are running the amber with the green, so you have the combination of the two, so there should be no confusion.”

Increasing visibility north of the border While in Ontario only firefighters and volunteer medical responders are allowed to have flashing green lights on their vehicles, according to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, the Ministry of Transportation determined it needed to increase the visibility of winter maintenance vehicles several years ago; especially since most plowing and sanding there is done by contractors with different types of vehicles in different colours with different lights. There was a lack of consistency, or as the ministry called it in the Winter 2015 issue of its seasonal publication Road Talk , a lack of “brand identity.”

This led the department to create a standard for all snowremoval equipment. In 2013, the ministry conducted in-house research and tests to determine how to increase visibility.

Several tests demonstrated that “the best conspicuity panel is a checkerboard pattern in fluorescent yellow-green and black.”

While green lights weren’t the outcome of lighting tests in the SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

Michigan Department of Transportation, “Green Means Slow,” http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/ WhenGreenMeansSlow_544477_7.pdf (accessed March 29, 2018).

Michigan Department of Transportation, “When Green Means Slow: Winter maintenance vehicles getting green lights to improve visibility,” http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-398805--,00.html (accessed March 29, 2018).

Michigan Department of Transportation, “When Green Means Slow,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUCHgrktrK8, video, (accessed March 29, 2018).

Ontario Ministry of Transportation, “Re-Establishing a Brand,” Road Talk, http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/publications/pdfs/ road-talk-newsletter-winter-2015.pdf (accessed March 29, 2018).

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Five common mistakes to avoid when preparing your snowplow for storage

By Jodie Gilroy The trees are budding and the threat of accumulating snow

Mistake #1: Putting the snowplow away dirty

is now behind us. For many snow-plowing professionals this

Your snowplow has seen the worst of winter weather and no doubt has encountered its fair share of salt and grime during the season. Putting your snowplow into storage without a thorough cleaning is a common mistake made by snowplow owners. To prevent corrosion, always wash your snowplow thoroughly before putting it into storage to remove any excess salt and sand that may have accumulated during the season. If you want to add an extra layer of protection, you may want to consider adding a coating of vehicle wax to the plow.

means it’s time to shift from snow removal to lawn care – from plows to lawn mowers. When checking off the storage of your snowplow from your spring to-do list, you will want to keep these common mistakes in mind and avoid them when preparing your snow plow for storage.

Mistake #2: Parking the plow in the yard While hiding the snowplow behind the shed out back may seem like a good idea, it’s not the best storage option. Another common mistake is storing the plow under an enclosed tarp. Snowplows are generally made of steel. Storing the plow on the ground or under a tarp can accelerate the rusting process. To limit rust on your snowplow, keeping it inside a garage or storage building is your best option. If you do need to store the plow outside, it is recommended that you elevate the plow on a platform so the plow is not directly exposed to the ground. If using a tarp, make sure that air can flow thru and does not allow moisture to become trapped.

Mistake #3: Not changing the hydraulic fluid Forgoing the changing of the hydraulic fluid is a very 8

ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

common mistake that plow owners make. Many wait until they take their plow out of storage to change the hydraulic fluid. However, this mistake puts the hydraulic system at risk for rust as moisture in the hydraulic system can build up during the season. It is recommended that the hydraulic system be completely drained and that new snowplow hydraulic fluid be added before storing the plow. Check your snowplow manual for information on the types of hydraulic fluid recommended as factory fluid may be formulated differently than generic fluid.

add an additional layer of corrosion protection. In addition to the lift cylinder, it is also important to grease the electrical components. Make sure you disconnect all electrical plugs and coat each connection with dielectric grease (lights, valve assembly, pump, pump solenoid and battery). Then, install all dust caps and plugs provided. Also, if you own a v-plow you will want to grease the coupler spring pins and the vertical hinge bushings.

For those looking to take an extra preventative measure, you may also want to consider cleaning/replacing the filter on the plow pump assembly. This involves a bit more work but it will ensure that you are getting out any foreign objects that may have become lodged in the unit during the winter.

It is recommended that trip-return springs, during operation, be tightened so that a business card can be slid between the coils in the middle of the spring. However, when storing the plow, it is unnecessary to maintain this amount of tension on the springs. When putting the plow into storage, loosen the trip-return springs. If you own a v-blade, you will also want to loosen the blade-return springs.

Mistake #4: Forgetting to grease the plow components When storage time comes around it’s also time to break out the grease. Before you detach your snowplow, you will want to grease any exposed chrome on the lift cylinder rod and on the angle cylinders to protect them from corrosion.

After greasing is complete, power the lift tower forward until the lift cylinder is completely compressed. This will

Mistake #5: Maintaining spring tension

Avoiding these common pitfalls when storing your snowplow will extend its life and ensure that it is ready to go when the first flakes start to fly next season. •

This story was previously published on The Snowplow Blogger, at info.bossplow.com/blog.

The ice road to Churchill

All photos supplied by Mark Kohaykewych, Polar Industries.

By Bailey Hildebrand-Russell On June 9, 2017, OmniTRAX Inc. announced the indefinite closure of the Hudson Bay Railway. According to the Denver, Colo.-based company, with its Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg, an independent engineering firm indicated the track bed had been washed away in 19 spots and five bridges were visibly damaged. At the time, an additional 30 bridges and 600 culverts that allowed water to pass under the track needed to be further assessed for structural integrity.

The closure has left the remote northern Manitoba community of Churchill, a town of less than 900, without rail service since May of 2017 and very little options for transportation of goods and services.

OmniTRAX, one of North America’s largest private railroad and transportation management companies, purchased the railway and the Port of Churchill in 1997 from the Government of Canada.

As winter approached, with no rail service restoration in sight due to legal disputes between OmniTRAX and the federal government on who is responsible for the repairs, Mark Kohaykewych, president and CEO of Polar Industries Ltd., knew of a possible alternative to help Churchill’s residents.

Polar Industries specializes in remote logistics and rose to international fame being featured on the History Channel’s series Ice Road Truckers.

Kohaykewych has been very involved with shipping to northern communities as well as shipping to Churchill via the rail line over the past eight years and has developed relationships with the people of the North through his work.

He said he recognized a need after the railway went down and he’s never been the type of person to back down from a challenge. Very shortly after OmniTRAX announced the closure, Kohaykewych said crews were already surveying

the land to determine whether an ice road to Churchill was possible without hurting the environment.

“The process started back in June (2017) when I went up there and started doing some land surveying to see different routing we could possibly do with the least amount of environmental impact,” Kohaykewych said. “I was pleased to say that we’ve been able to do this project with zero environmental impact and zero brush and tree clearing. We used existing trapping trails as well as hydro trails to accomplish this. The second phase involved partnering up with Fox Lake First Nation whose traditional territory we’re crossing.”

Once Polar Industries received the go-ahead from the Manitoba government and Manitoba Hydro, the company announced it would create a nearly 300-km ice road to Churchill from Gillam, Man. Work began on Nov. 17, 2018 with help from Fox Lake Cree Nation and Churchill’s Remote Area Services. That work didn’t stop once drivers took to the road. Maintaining the ice road is constant work and Kohaykewych said he couldn’t ask for a better partner in doing so than Fox Lake Cree Nation.

“They’ve got a lot of knowledgeable skilled people. This is their traditional land. A lot of them are trappers that are familiar with the territory. When I was up there, the amount of young men on the trail was incredible to see. I’m talking guys in their early 20s that are out there and excited to be working and be a part of making history in their own backyard.”

there were high expectations when the road first started operating, which led to some disappointment, Kohaykewych said.

“People in Churchill were frustrated at the start because I think they were expecting this to be more of an easier winter road, but we’re trying to let them know the challenges we’ve been facing,” he said. “I think we’ve got this thing finally perfected. It’s taken two or three months to get this thing done properly. It’s never been done before so it’s tough to predict the challenges. The creeks, the rivers – there are 83 water crossings. Steep banks and weather, the list is endless. At the end of the day, I think we’ve definitely made a lot of people happy, but without them realizing what sort of transpired along the way, it’s tough to explain why this process is taking so long.”

But the resident’s excitement for help couldn’t be more apparent when the first loads arrived with hundreds of people lining the road in -40C to greet the drivers.

Now that the ice road has been successful with several kinks worked out, Kohaykewych said there may be more in store for the road’s future.

“I’d like to continue doing this all the time. I think the people in Churchill need an alternative form of transportation to provide goods to their community regardless of whether the rail’s replaced or not.” •

As of mid-March 2018, Polar Industries made around 25 trips to Churchill from Gillam on the seasonal road, with between 50 and 60 trips to go before the season ends and the road melts away. Each trip, which crosses several lakes and rivers, takes around 24 hours. Drivers are hauling everything from household goods to food, construction supplies to fuel.

While many residents are now happy with the service, SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

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The lion in winter

Arctic Snow and Ice Products of Frankfort, Ill. withstands a blizzard of competitors as it remains on top of a rapidly-evolving marketplace

By Catherine LeClerc At the start of the last winter season, American manufacturers were concerned about lackluster demand largely attributed to multiple mild winters across the Midwest. Arctic Snow and Ice Products, the U.S. leader in snow-plow technology based in Frankfort, Ill. (not to be confused with the company of the same name based in London, Ont.), looked to the north and approached veteran Canadian snow professionals that they knew demanded the very best in their plows and equipment. Those efforts were rewarded with Arctic’s best year in Canada to date. Add to that Arctic’s private-label business with a major equipment manufacturer and it is evident that its products continue to impress, including its own legendary Arctic Sectional SnoPusher™, the gold standard of the industry for the last 18 years.

conscious customer, with much of the same technology as the Sectional (the Slip-Hitch™ mount, steel trip edges, etc.), but in a one-piece blade. Next came the Arctic Sectional SnoPlow™, the first power-angled plow ever designed in a sectional configuration. Finally, Arctic entered the salt

Last year was also significant because it was the first time Arctic expanded its product line since its flagship product was introduced to the marketplace 12 years ago. First, Arctic introduced the Raptor pusher line for the more cost14

ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

insiders shared the opinion that Arctic’s engineering reputation and the continued dominance of the Sectional SnoPusherTM had finally forced their competitors to do something to upset the status quo, and some observed that much of the promotional marketing was clearly directed at Arctic. There was also talk of one manufacturer possibly violating one of Arctic’s key patents.

I caught up with Arctic’s founder and CEO, Randy Strait, to ask him about this watershed year.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Catherine LeClerc: There suddenly seems to be an incredible number of new plow designs on the market, each claiming to be better than the rest. To what do you attribute this flood of new products on the market, many of which seem to be responses to your engineering dominance.?

business with the DoubleDown Salt Bucket™, a remarkable front-mounted scoop and spread attachment that has been so well received that the company has had to consider a rationing program for its dealers.

At the same time, nearly all the major snow attachment manufacturers, and a few new ones, unleashed new pusher models in nearly every variety one could imagine. They folded, angled, extended and tripped, and a few attempted their version of sectioned moldboards. A few industry

SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

Randy Strait: It does seem like everyone is trying to come up with something new to make a name for themselves, and I agree that this is a relatively recent phenomenon. There is an easy explanation for both and we had predicted this for some time. When I first developed the Sectional and its peripheral technology almost 20 years ago, it was for my own snow fleet exclusively, which just happens to be the largest in the U.S. I was frustrated with the technology that existed at the time and I laboured for several years to develop something that would revolutionize the way I plowed for a living. It wasn’t until 2006 that I created a separate company to sell these box plows to my fellow contractors. When it became such a huge success,

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point out several little things that others have missed, but one glaring example that stands out is some of our competitors’ decision to use springs as the key component of a pusher or plow with sectional characteristics. If you consider how a spring works, you would realize that it is counter-intuitive to believe that springs can apply any downward pressure to a cutting blade. They have only one capability, which is to release upon impact. Springs are designed to move away from pressure, and regardless of how strong they are, once they are compressed, they cannot push back – they only possess a minor restoring force to return to equilibrium. In practice, these pushers would scrape better if they had no springs at all, which we proved on our own. In our case, we use specially-formulated polyurethane block mounts that can allow the operator to angle his edge for literally thousands of pounds of additional downward pressure right at the cutting edge. The spring designs simply ride over the ice and hard packed snow.

Plus, they can never contour below grade to remove snow from depressions, like the birdbaths you see in parking lots.

It’s why we rejected the spring concept years ago. the manufacturers were caught off guard and could not react quickly because they were primarily metal fabrication and welding shops. They needed a fair amount of time to catch up. As far as any promotional marketing that draws comparisons to Arctic’s unique design features, it is understandable that a company might want to rebrand its image into one associated with design and engineering excellence – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

CL: How do you expect these new products will affect your sales?

RS: From what I am seeing, it does not seem to be affecting us adversely at all. In terms of performance, we do not see anything out there that can stack up to the various Arctic models. Besides, I am receiving sales force reports that indicate that some comparisons to Arctic may actually be serving to highlight just how impressive our products and reputation are to our customers, similar to the reputation that Mercedes Benz enjoys. In a practical sense, we have considered almost all the design concepts that are out there, because we truly understand what works and what doesn’t. As the largest self-performing snow contractor in the U.S., we have the practical field experience to test those concepts in the real world. We believe we have the very best performing plows and pushers on the market, and that is also why our patents are so important.

CL: Can you give us an example of an engineering feature that competitors are using that you don’t use in your designs? Why don’t you use those features?

RS: That’s an interesting question and I could certainly 16

CL: Since 2006, you only sold one product, the Sectional SnoPusher™. Last year, you introduced four more plows of various designs plus the DoubleDown Salt Bucket™. What led to those decisions and what other surprises can we expect from Arctic this year?

RS: Last year, many factors influenced our product line decisions, starting with the importance we placed in our dealer relationships. Many wanted a full product line that could appeal to both the large and small customers, but they found it difficult to steer their smaller customers to a lower end non-Arctic pusher once that customer was spoiled by our Slip Hitch system as well as other various performance features. The two Raptors solved that problem.

Regarding the power angled Sectional SnoPlow™, we had been approached several times by municipalities looking for us to develop a straight plow in a sectional design for their street-clearing needs. They were concerned primarily with equipment longevity, operator safety and the high cost of salt, and knew our reputation in each of these areas. Now that we have a better understanding of potential demand, we will be working toward introducing additional mounting options this year. The DoubleDown Salt Bucket™ was simply a year ahead of schedule, but we knew we could not keep it a secret if we merely employed it for our own fleet exclusively. This year, we have some new exciting products coming. In fact, this could be a particularly good time for new dealers to join our network. •

Catherine LeClerc is a freelance writer, consultant and bilingual publicist based in Québec.

ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

All photos supplied by Province of B.C./Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Clearing the cables:

Alex Fraser Bridge receives cable-collar upgrade to prevent ice bombs

By Bailey Hildebrand-Russell Winter 2016 in Metro Vancouver brought weather conditions, including temperature cycling and wind, that impacted the area’s cable-stayed bridges like never before. On the Alex Fraser Bridge, snow and ice fell off the

stay cables, raining down on vehicles travelling across the Fraser River.

What came to be known as ice bombs to both the public and the media led to closures on the bridge. It was the first time the bridge was closed due to falling snow and ice since construction was finished 30 years prior, according to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The temporary closures were in place on Dec. 10 and 12, 2016, and again on Feb. 5, 2017, according to the ministry.

All photos supplied by Province of B.C./ Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

SNOW MANAGER | www.snowmanager.ca

While the ice bombs are a rare occurrence, happening with the right combination of warming and freezing with wind at the right speed and angle, the B.C. government is implementing a preventative measure. In late January and early February 2017, the ministry began testing a cable-collar drop system, similar to the one already in place on the Port Mann Bridge, which

also crosses the Fraser River.

The configuration of the cables differed between the two bridges, meaning that the drop system may not have worked as well on the Alex Fraser – the Alex Fraser’s cables run parallel to traffic and not over them like on the Port Mann, according to a Jan. 27, 2017 news release from the ministry. The cables are also smaller in diameter and are configured at different angles.

The collars around each cable are manually released, brushing snow and ice off the cables, preventing large chunks from falling onto vehicles below.

“There are 192 cables on the bridge and each cable will have one stopper, one anchor and 10 collars,” a ministry spokesperson said in an email.

“The stoppers at the bottom of each cable are quite a bit larger and more 17

Setting the New Standard for Articulated Municipal Tractors

complex than those on the Port Mann Bridge system. To ensure the system’s effectiveness, it will be manually operated by crews of rope access technicians who will physically load and deploy the collars as needed.”

Three B.C. contractors were awarded the contract to design and install the system, the ministry said. Eurovia BC of Surrey began installing the system in October 2017. The system’s parts were manufactured by Valid Manufacturing Ltd. from Salmon Arm and Hercules SLR Inc. from Langley.

Eurovia BC began installing the rings on the low-angle cables first, as those accumulate the most ice and snow.

As of February 2018, the ministry said work on those cables should be wrapped up by the end of the month, while installation of all cable collars is expected to be complete by the end of March.

On Feb. 23, 2018, the BC government announced that crews dropped the collars for the first time, successfully clearing approximately five centimetres of snow. At times, clearing snow from the cables requires temporary lane closures – a minor inconvenience compared to falling ice chunks.

Contact your local dealer to schedule a demonstration

WWW.MACLEANENGINEERING.COM Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

519-370-2999

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The ministry of transportation and infrastructure said the total cost of the project is around $5 million, with an estimated annual operating cost of around $500,000 weatherdependent. • ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

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Managing marijuana use in the workplace

By Kelsey Saunders As legalization of marijuana is just around the corner, and medical cannabis is becoming more prevalent in Canada, employers are left with a series of unanswered questions revolving around the workplace. This leads us to the question, “what do employers need to know about managing cannabis in the workplace?�

When will marijuana legalization take effect?

Marijuana is expected to be legalized by July 2018.

Once legalized, can employers continue to test for marijuana use?

Yes. Marijuana use still carries significant risks to safety at work, and we therefore encourage employers to continue to test for cannabis use, even after legalization is implemented.

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ISSUE 1 - 2018 | SNOW MANAGER

How will marijuana impairment be detected?

Currently, the saliva swab is the most time-sensitive test at an employer’s disposal.

The saliva swab test has the ability to detect marijuana consumption within 12 hours of the drug test. Unfortunately, the saliva swab does not test if an individual is actively impaired, which is one of the biggest concerns for not only employers, but law enforcement as well.

The psychoactive chemical in marijuana, THC, metabolizes through an individual’s body differently than alcohol, which means the current roadside impairment tests offer no assistance to agencies actively researching for an active impairment solution.

The federal government is investing a significant amount of resources in this initiative in order to find a solution prior to the legalization in July 2018.

Can marijuana be treated the same way as alcohol in the workplace?

different substances and are metabolized differently in the body, with different effects on cognition and behaviour, and carry distinctive safety risks and health concerns. An employer must take these differences into account when drafting drug and alcohol policies.

How should employers prepare for this legislative change?

Employers should revisit their existing drug and alcohol policies and update them appropriately. It is important that all policy revisions are properly communicated to employees to ensure thorough understanding. All supervisors, team leads, and managers are to be properly trained to detect signs of impairment.

Companies should seek legal support when identifying and launching policy changes.

The legalization of marijuana will not place unnecessary stress on the employer if their policies and procedures are created proactively, and staff have been advised and trained in the new protocols prior to the implementation of Canada’s new law in July 2018. •

To a certain extent, yes it can.

Kelsey Saunders is the result department team lead at SureHire.

Alcohol is a legal substance that poses significant safety risks in the workplace and has been carefully managed by employers over the past several years. Employers should have detailed policies governing the use of alcohol. Prohibiting impairment, use, and possession of the substance at the workplace, and outlining specific consequences for violation of those terms, as an example.

This article was previously published in the summer 2017 edition of Breaking Ground, the official publication of the Edmonton Construction Association.

It is important to note that cannabis and alcohol are two

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