On the Road Again...With Loss Control Spring Workshops

The room was buzzing with conversation and energy as Public Works empoyees from the Alexandria area put their heads together to discuss some of their most important and dangerous jobs.  The question they were discussing?  "What are the top 10 city tasks you would lose sleep over if your 15 year old child would have to do them the next day without instruction?"  The buzz was happening at the LMCIT Spring Loss Control Workshops targeted specifically toward municipalities including Public Works employees.  In the afternoon City Clerks were buzzing over the question, "What Public Works tasks or emergency would make you cringe if it landed on your desk the day after your long term Public Works employee retired.....and all that knowledge walked out the door with them?"  Answers included, "I wouldn't want my son to do a confined space entry." and, somewhat agast, "I don't know what they (Public Works employees) really do!" 

Come join the buzz and get in on the conversation.  Next week we are in Marshall and Mankato.  We are traveling around the state.  Look for more dates, locations and information, along with how to register at the LMC website www.lmc.org.  

By Cheryl Brennan

Laser guide for road plow wing trailing edge

A lot of snow has been plowed off of the roads and parking lots over the past few weeks. This winter appears to be hanging on just a bit. Summer, however, will soon be upon us and we won’t think about snow until we see those white flakes in the air next fall. As we prepare for warmer days we should reflect on the season and whether there have been complaints of damage by the plows to lawns, mail boxes, or if there has been damage to the trucks themselves from hitting curbs, posts etc.  Once preparations and budgeting for the next season begins, possible equipment improvements should be considered. As we all know the outer trailing edge of the road plow wings are often out of sight and depend on the use of mirrors, the driver’s experience and his familiarity with the equipment to gage where the path of the outer edge will be in relation to objects ahead. Gone are the good old days of having a wingman in the truck to keep an eye on the blade and right side of the truck. The use of a laser sight that shows the path of the plows outer edge can reduce plow damage by up to a claimed 85%. A laser sight such as the one produced by Laser Line Manufacturing Inc. LaserLine Mfg. can be used both in the winter for snow plowing as well as in the summer for striping operations. The model the GL3000PMC sits on the cab of the truck and places a laser light spot on the road in front of the truck marking the path that the plows outer edge will travel. The system at under $3,000 can be an affordable addition to the plows that would save the city from losses due to plow damage. There are other aids such as in cab closed circuit cameras to watch the trailing edge which can also be utilized to keep track of the plow location. The laser seems to have the advantage of keeping the drivers eyes on the road reducing the driver from looking away from the path of travel ahead. In any event all potential aids should be considered to find the one that most serves the cities needs and operator’s preference.

By Paul Gladen

Flushing out resources!

Do you recall a time when you felt foolish for not using something that made your work life so much easier? Then you tried it and wondered why in the world you didn’t use it sooner? Well…. this may be another one of those opportunities for you.

I was a speaker at a Rural Water training event and boy I wish I could have had a conversation on film that took place so I could share it with you here- the video would have said it all but the conversation was not caught on tape. What you would have seen is one Public Works Director’s shock and amazement that everyone else in the room was not utilizing the documents and resources available to them in LMCIT’s Sanitary Sewer Toolkit. It saved him numerous hours of time and was essentially a "plug and play" program for his city.

You can find links to all the helpful documents and guides at the following web address Sewer Tool Kit

What’s your opinion of the tools available there?

by Andy Miller

LMCIT Video Library – FREE!

Does your department’s safety training need a little visual help? Check out the LMCIT Safety Video Library, where we have just added more than 50 New Exciting DVD Titles!

For many years, LMCIT members have tapped into our safety video/DVD lending library to improve the health & safety of their workforce. With topics targeted to the risks encountered by our member cities, our library has proven a valuable resource. Now with more than 50 outstanding new titles added, this excellent resource just got better!

Our video/DVD library now contains more than 250 titles, covering a broad spectrum of relevant loss control topics, and containing many videos produced within the last few years. New titles include: Drowsy Driving, Lessons From Ground Zero, Harrassment in the Public Sector, HazWoper First Responder (HazMat), Rudy: Safety Takes Courage (with Rudy Ruettiger), PPE for the Public Sector, Understanding the New ADA, and many more. Free Video Library

LMCIT member Public Works departments can take advantage of this free resource by viewing our catalog on our website at the following link:

 Videos may be requested by contacting Elsie Barette by fax: (612)-766-3199, or email:Elsie Barette 

by Matt Columbus