NAPSA's The Hopper - Spring 2021

The Official Newsletter of the North American Power Sweeping Association

What’s in The Hopper?

1 President’s Message 2 Business Trends 4 The Power Sweeping Standard and Certification 5 Workouts for Drivers 6 How Will the Biden Administration Affect Workers?

8 NAPSA Congratulates

NAPSA Partners Gold

Silver Bronze

Schwarze Industries TYMCO, Inc. Elgin Sweeper Company Nite-Hawk Sweepers Victory Sweepers Dulevo Americas Ltd. Stewart-Amos Sweeper Co. Visual App United Rotary Brush Corp.

1-800-SWEEPER Keystone Old Dominion Brush Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. World Insurance Associates

Call for Content THE HOPPER, the official newsletter for NAPSA, warmly welcomes article ideas, content, and photos submitted by members. Don’t be shy. This is your newsletter. Send content, high-resolution pictures, and ideas to the attention of the editor at info@ powersweeping.org.

1st Quarter 2021 | Vol. 5 | Issue 1

Let’s See What We Can Accomplish

By Chris Dick, Katsam Enterprises

So, this is what it’s like at the helm?

I’ve been watching Scott Duscher do this for two years, but now, here we go! I’m pretty excited to see what we can accomplish this year.

Each year we all make goals for what we want to see happen in the upcoming year. For NAPSA that planning process begins with the Board of Directors’ inperson meeting typically held in conjunction with NPE. As NPE is not being held in-person this year, the NAPSA Board held a virtual planning session which spanned two days in January. We talked about what made sense to offer members, and this included new courses in disaster management, Certified Sweeping Operator training for municipalities, a review of the Power Sweeping Standard, and an overall assessment of our SweeperSchool options and NAPSA benefits. I am pretty excited about all of the work that is being done on these initiatives.

NAPSA’s board is working hard to bring members what they need to be successful. We encourage you to share your challenges so that we can be responsive to member needs.

I want to introduce the 2021 Board of Directors: Executive Committee: President: Chris Dick, Katsam Enterprises, MO Vice President: Cole Watts, More Clean of Texas,TX Past President: Scott Duscher, Agua Trucks, AZ Secretary: Mark Carter, Peloton Sweeping Service, CA Treasurer: Bryan Young, TYMCO, TX Directors: Loring Dunton, C & L Sweeper, NJ Joe Sciuto, Ross Industries, PA Nikki Kryston, Property Maintenance Services, OH Lee Miller, Pacific Sweeping, CA Mat Andrews, West Michigan Sweeper, MI Joe Wise, Asphalt Enterprises, NC Jim Blackerby, Louisville Pavement Sweep, KY David Heigl, Schwarze Industries, AL Jeff Old, Visual App,TX Jake Hoerman, Nite-Hawk Sweepers, WA We are all here to guide NAPSA into the future. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of these folks or contact NAPSA Headquarters at info@PowerSweeping.org. n The Hopper | 1

Business Trends for 2021 After bidding 2020 a not-so-fond goodbye, many businesses returned to business-as-usual for the “new normal” after January 1, because that “new normal” remains in effect as long as COVID-19 holds the nation in its grip. However, the new year confers optimism for the future, because hope is the nature of humanity. Consulting four of the nation’s most authoritative business journals--Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Fast Company-NAPSA consolidates anticipated business trends for 2021 into one comprehensive list for you, so you don’t have to resort to the occult to predict your company’s future.

Remote working and videoconferences will continue If 2020 taught business anything, it was that most people who were formerly required to work on-site in corporate offices really don’t need to do so to perform their jobs. Sure, trying to work with the kids at home poses an enormous challenge, but the overall success of work-from-home (WFH) proves many businesses can no longer justify demands that employees commute to their jobs.

WFH confers benefits to both businesses and employees. Business can reduce or even eliminate office space, which means reductions in rent, utilities, building maintenance, etc. Employees can avoid rush hour traffic and boring commutes, which reduces wear and tear on their vehicles and pollution in general.

WFH has boosted technologybased companies and services, like Zoom, which “provided 2 | The Hopper

visual collaboration platforms enabling teams to create and share content, interact, track projects, train employees, run virtual team-building activities, and more.”

However, working from home isn’t ideal for many people or their employers.

According to Forbes: … in 2021, businesses need to reimagine their own workspaces as well as provide the proper support for people working from home, such as outfit them with the right office equipment, mental health support, and more so everyone can work from home comfortably.

This leads to a new (or renewed) focus on sustainability. “[E] very company needs to rethink operations, environmental impact, and their products and how they are being used.”

The continuation of technological innovation will address our human need to unwind and relax. Inc. predicts that virtual reality and augmented reality technologies will grow “significantly” even as micromobility increases. From submerging one’s mind (and eyes) in immersive video games to getting out into fresh air on bicycles and e-scooters and reconnecting with

Tarot cards. Picture by Jean-Didier on Pixabay.

By Karen M. Smith

Mother Nature (and maybe burning a few WFH calories), industries that help people escape dismal reality should do well in 2021.

Diversity and inclusion leads to purpose and meaning The social unrest of 2020 brought to light the ongoing disgruntlement of those who sincerely believe in the systemic inequality of American society and business. This affects employee morale and the bottom line, because people want to matter and they want what they do to matter, too. Fast Company calls this “employees as engines for change” and states, “While the C-suite must carry the mantle of purpose, it

meaningful purpose will struggle to attract talent and customers.”

Be a Good Neighbor Everyone knows someone who suffered in 2020, whether from job loss, disease, or something else. This shared hardship puts an emphasis on what’s happening in local communities at the same time lockdowns force people to rely upon internet shopping and delivery services.

March and April 2020 illuminated who our “essential employees” really are: the people who serve the public. These include healthcare workers, supermarket employees, trash collectors, and the like. These are the people who, to paraphrase Dirty Jobs celebrity Mike Rowe, make civilized life possible. 2020 exposed gaps in the supply chain, the ability (or lack thereof) of manufacturing to adjust production with little notice.

Farmers, unfortunately, caught the backlash, as no one has yet figured out how to explain to cows and chickens how to dial down or ramp up production of milk and eggs.

Storytelling has long served as a marketing tactic to build authenticity and social goodwill.

That has become surpassed by “storydoing,” meaning that “companies increasingly take action before they communicate about it.”

This includes reports of distilleries’ shift from making vodka and whiskey to making hand sanitizer and giving away the sanitizer for free. Even if your company operates in the background, unnoticed and unappreciated, that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of showcasing your business through the exercise of social responsibility and heartwarming charity. Tell the story and make it something people will admire. n

Picture by iXimus on Pixabay.

will not drive business and societal impacts if not developed, embedded, and activated by employees.”

Employee-centric change means embracing more than profit and efficiency; it focuses on doing what’s right. Those platitudes found in memes sprinkled through LinkedIn have come to bear: 2021 requires empathy toward workers as humans with needs, challenges, and interests that go beyond their jobs. The purpose of your business must evolve, if it hasn’t already, from a focus on profit to a focus on value for all stakeholders in the business’ success: management, labor, shareholders, and customers.

The increased reliance on digital networking for social interaction as well as business means that a company’s reputation is even more vulnerable than before. Tying into the desire for life and work to have purpose and meaning, “[c] ompanies that don’t have a clear or

The Hopper | 3

The Power Sweeping Standard and Certification

By Karen M. Smith

ANSI approved a national guideline for best practices in power sweeping, a standard largely written by NAPSA to codify objective, minimum criteria for competence, ethics, and acceptable practice. The establishment of a national standard also sets the bar for training: we can train to the standard.

The approval of a standard for minimum criteria does not, of course, preclude anyone from exceeding that minimum or contractors from training their employees to higher levels of professionalism.

Anyone may obtain a printed copy of the standard, which NAPSA sells for $399 each; however, a printed copy is included with annual membership dues, which adds to the value of NAPSA membership.

Possession of the power sweeping standard does not impart certification: it’s a guideline to best practices not subject to varying degrees of arbitrary interpretation. Certification, however, does comply with meeting the standard which then confers an additional layer of protection, not to mention incentive for reduced insurance premiums.

Photo by Geralt on Pixabay.

Getting Certified To uphold the power sweeping standard and institute training consistent with uniform expectations for best practices, NAPSA created SweeperSchool (www.SweeperSchool. com). This online portal leads to programs and courses developed

4 | The Hopper

through years of collaboration among NAPSA’s most experienced and respected members. Each program and certification path is designed to equip managers, power sweeping operators, and office employees with the necessary knowledge of industry standards and best practices.

NAPSA currently offers three certification paths:

defined and legally defensible scopeof-work agreements; and, how to train employees on documentation requirements, including site conditions that affect successful completion of service, incidents, and arrival and departure times. This credential requires successful completion of all 20 lessons. ($400 retail, $100 NAPSA members)

Certified Sweeper Operator - This training program covers best practices for operating a power sweeper tailored to parking lot and construction site specializations. This certification path includes sweeper basics and troubleshooting; health issues, including nutrition, sleep, and safety; pre-start procedures; safe sweeper operation; accident procedures; and paperwork and recordkeeping. The parking lot credential ($90 retail, $45 NAPSA members) covers 51 lessons and the construction credential ($400 retail, $100 NAPSA members) spans 68 lessons.

Fleet Basics - This program offers general training on topics applicable to virtually every role – whether or not that role involves driving a power sweeper – within the power sweeping business, regardless of the student’s level of experience or years in the industry. This program ($20 retail, $10 NAPSA members) covers 18 lessons on key fundamentals.

The online portal tracks student progress through each course and tests students upon completion of courses to ensure they understand the material. Each company can have their training manager set up to access the student tracking. Passing scores are required to count course completion toward certification.

Successful completion of training confers the credentials of certification that customers can trust.

Certified Sweeping Manager - This training program focuses on owners and managers of power sweeping businesses to help their businesses rise to best practices and obtain best results. This certification path covers how to identify and avoid unfavorable contract language that transfers legal liability for incidents over which you have no control from your customers to your business; how to create well-

Upcoming Creditial NAPA will soon offer another specialization under the Certified Sweeper Operator designation: municipal. Planned for 27 lessons, this path of education will focus on the knowledge needed for local government power sweeping contracts and operation.

For more information, visit www. powersweeping.org, contact Executive Director Nancy Terry at info@powersweeping.org, or call NAPSA headquarters at (888) 757-0130. n

By Karen M. Smith

Long hours in the driver’s seat don’t make for a healthy, active lifestyle.

Sitting behind the steering wheel eight or more hours a day takes a toll on one’s health. If a gym membership isn’t feasible, power sweeper operators can adapt the same exercises long-haul truckers use to stay fit.

Exercising in the Driver’s Seat Feeling a bit cramped and tired?

Advanced Career Institute recommends stretching to reduce stress and avoid injury. Shoulder stretches and hand stretches can be performed while in the driver’s seat during short stops. For shoulder stretches, raise your shoulders up to your ears, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat. Gripping the steering wheel for hours on end can result in cramped, stiff hands which can lead to arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. To relieve the stiffness--and maybe postpone more permanent damage--roll your

Mature man performs squat exercises.

wrists in a circle and gently pull your fingers toward your body.

Step Outside for a Few Minutes Step outside the vehicle for a few A handful of trail mix makes a quick minutes to take a break from hours and healthy snack of unrelieved sitting. Equipment isn’t necessary, which makes these away from sugary drinks: water exercises even more convenient. To refreshes better than high fructose loosen muscles and burn calories, corn syrup with none of the harmful build a quick routine that can be side effects. Snack on nuts and seeds performed just about anywhere. (think: trail mix) rather than chips Exercises may include jogging in and candy bars. n place, jumping jacks, push-ups, walking lunges, squats, dips, and knee NAPSA NEWS STAFF highs.

President Focus on time, not intensity Chris Dick/Katsam Enterprises Aim to maintain an elevated heart Executive Director rate for a minimum of 20 minutes Nancy Terry every day. That time can be split Editor/Staff Writer into shorter sessions--they add up.

Karen M. Smith Just 20 minutes of cardio exertion sustains calorie-burning benefits ADVERTISING/CONTACT for the entire day by raising your Please inquire at: metabolism.

North American Power Sweeping Eat and Drink Properly It’s tempting to snack while driving. When on the road, drivers are faced with temptation in the form of high-fat, high-sugar snacks and beverages, and fast foot dining options aren’t much better.

Combined with hours upon hours spent sitting behind the wheel, it’s important to follow a healthy diet that includes lean meat or vegetarian protein, fresh fruits, vegetables, and water.

Water is crucial to a healthy diet.

It helps the body sustain energy and facilitates digestion and proper kidney function. Snacking at the wheel probably can’t be avoided entirely, but can be improved. Stay

Association P.O. Box 1166 Lebanon, OH 45036 (888) 757-0130 info@powersweeping.org www.powersweeping.org/contact/

CIRCULATION

As of February 1, 2017, members of the North American Power Sweeping Association may receive THE HOPPER as a part of their paid membership. THE HOPPER is an official publication of the North American Power Sweeping Association and is published bi-monthly.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to North American Power Sweeping Association, P.O. Box 1166, Lebanon, OH 45036, info@powersweeping.org. © 2020 North American Power Sweeping Association

The Hopper | 5

Photo by Didgeman on Pixabay.

Workout for Drivers

How Will the Biden Administration Affect Workers?

It’s official. On January 6, the U.S. Congress certified the winner of the 2020 presidential election as Joseph Biden. The nation’s government will swing from Republican domination to Democrat. The core differences between the two parties may lead to substantial and substantive differences in workers’ rights.

Get Ready to Revise Your Employee Manuals The Trump administration “kicked off a process in which many federal regulations implemented by the Obama administration were revised and overturned. Employee handbooks and company policies had to be updated and rewritten,” state the authors of “How a New Administration May Impact HR” in HR Today. The authors anticipate reinstatement of those Obama-era regulations to include health care insurance, paid leave, labor relations, workplace immigration, retirement plans, minimum wage, marijuana legalization, and LGBTQ rights.

The Economic Policy Institute also predicts an overturn of former President Trump’s business-friendly policies. Writing for the organization’s Working Economics Blog, Celine McNicholas and Margaret Poydock exhort President Biden to overturn several of Trump’s executive orders concerning collective bargaining rights, private apprenticeship programs, and the designation of essential services which was “used by the Trump administration to intimidate local agencies from closing [meatpacking] plants with multiple deaths and huge [COVID-19] outbreaks. As a result more than 44,000 meatpacking workers have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 200 have died.” Of particular emphasis, McNicholas and Poydock urge President Biden to

6 | The Hopper

Photo by Gage Skidmore on Wikipedia.

By Karen M. Smith

Former Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden speaking with attendees at the 2019 Iowa Federation of Labor Convention hosted by the AFLCIO at the Prairie Meadows Hotel in Altoona, Iowa. restore the Obama-era overtime salary threshold to $47,476, to broaden the joint-employer standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act, to tighten the ability of employers to use the “fluctuating workweek method” for calculating workers’ overtime pay, and to raise the bar for workers seeking job-search assistant, job referrals, and placement assistance from the Department of Labor.

The Horton Group, a company delivering insurance, employee benefits, and risk advisory solutions to clients, notes that every new presidential administration spends time and effort to reverse many preceding administrations’ policies, especially when the new administration belongs to a different political party.

For employers, this can require rapid adjustment on key employee benefits, such as healthcare. Under President Biden’s proposed model for comprehensive healthcare, what the federal government offers “would directly compete with insurance

providers. The public option would be available to anyone--even if their employers offer qualified-health plans.”

Biden’s pro-labor stance may also result in a narrowing of definition for independent contractors. Many employers may potentially be compelled to to reclassify contractors as employees. This could have a tremendous impact on the gig economy, as employers must dedicate more funds to mandated employee benefits such as 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave and a federally mandated minimum wage of $15 per hour. Employers may also expect eased regulations concerning immigrant labor, as experts predict the Biden administration will increase employment-based visas.

Women, in particular, may benefit from the new president’s ambition in “five key areas: economic security, expanded access to health care, affordable family care, eliminating violence against women and empowering women across the globe.”

Writing for World at Work’s Workspan Blog, Consuela Pinto also predicts that President Biden will build upon and expand Obama-era benefits and protections for workers. Pinto predicts the new administration will “quickly reintroduce the pay data reporting requirement and refocus on systemic pay discrimination litigation as neither require Congressional action.”

The Obama administration expanded pay data reporting requirements in 2016; however, the Trump administration suspended it before it could be implemented.

President Biden is expected to reinstate that requirement in EEO1 reports which require company employment data be categorized by race/ethnicity, gender, and job category. The data collected is intended to help reduce or eliminate

A New Focus on Corporate Culture Beyond healthcare benefits, paid leave, and worker classifications, the Biden administration is expected to rescind or approve laws that focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Writing for JDSupra, Robin E. Shea states that employers “should continue to examine their EEO and diversity trainings to ensure that the material does not run afoul of Title VII or Executive Order 11246 standards. The vast majority of employee training is not problematic, but sessions that place blame or stereotype people based on race or gender may create issues.”

Diversity and inclusion encompasses more than race and gender: it also includes religion.

The new administration is hostile to religious organizations and their exemption from the prohibition against making employment decisions based on religion. This hostility assumes religious organizations have latitude to discriminate against protected minority groups, such as LGBTQ individuals. Experts predict that the OFCCP’s Final Rule will be quickly rescinded by the new

various states legalized medical marijuana.

Fifteen states now permit recreational marijuana use, too; however, the federal government still classifies marijuana use as a felony. The Democratic Party favors legalization of marijuana and a Democrat-led Congress is expected to decriminalize the drug by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. This would, essentially, place marijuana on the same level as alcohol, with employers retaining the authority to expect workers to perform their jobs unimpeded by the influence of drugs and employees no longer fearing job termination for seeking effective relief from pain or other maladies so they can work.

Image by Giulia Forsythe via Wikimedia Commons.

the gender gap in employee wages. With both the House of Representatives and the Senate now populated by a majority of Democrats, the Paycheck Fairness Act – introduced 10 times since 1997-now has its best chance of passage.

The Paycheck Fairness Act seeks to update the 1963 Equal Pay Act with greater latitude toward workers to seek and receive equal pay for equal work.

administration. The increased, workerfriendly emphasis may result in greater (and easier) access of workers to seek and obtain redress against employers and stronger enforcement of antidiscrimination and harassment laws.

Despite the obvious conflict of people posting personal information on social media platforms, workers still expect a certain level of privacy in digital communication, an expectation many are surprised to find does not currently exist in the workplace.

State laws provide a patchwork of workplace privacy legislation. Shea predicts that the new administration will enact federal legislation to protect employees’ digital privacy and preempting state regulations.

Last, but not least, the new administration is expected to return to Obama-era workplace safety rules, taking the “safety third” joke seriously and promoting the focus to a true “safety first” agenda. OSHA may be empowered (again) to use the General Duty clause to cite employers who do not keep proper records relating to employees’ illness and injuries, particularly with regard to COVID-19. The renewed vigor of enforcement will require an increase in the numbers of OSHA inspectors who can physically visit work sites.

Workers seeking relief from pain and other maladies cheered when

None of This Happened Yet That’s right. This is all, in essence, speculation. However, human resources experts, legal authorities, and political pundits all recognize that the Biden administration will effect change, whether sweeping or incremental. These predictions rely upon campaign trail rhetoric and promises as well as the Democratic Party platform. However clear we may consider that crystal ball allowing us to predict the future, only hindsight claims perfect vision.

As of February 11, President Biden had signed more than 50 executive orders, 19 of which reverse the Trump administration policies. Most of them focus on COVID-19, immigration, and policy. Want to know more? The Federal Register maintains a current list of Biden’s 2021 executive orders.

Go to https://www.federalregister. gov/presidential-documents/ executive-orders/joe-biden/2021. n

The Hopper | 7

P.O. Box 1166 Lebanon, OH 45036

Newly Certified Sweeper Operators CSO PARKING LOT: Brian Borbeck EcoSweeping, Colorado

CERTIFIED SWEEPING MANAGER GRADUATES Christopher Calhoun Mid-State Industrial Service, Oregon

Luanne Hart Southco Commercial Curb Appeal. South Carolina

CERTIFIED SWEEPING COMPANIES VERSION 2.0 Jacketta Sweeping, Utah Cantel Sweeping, Oregon American Sweeping & Maintenance, California Smith Property Service, Massachusetts Southco Commercial Curb Appeal, South Carolina Mid-State Industrial Service, Oregon

David Cybulski Air Sweep, Massachusetts Christopher Calhoun Mid-State Industrial Service, Oregon Dustin Evernden Mid-State Industrial Service, Oregon 8 | The Hopper