Landscape operations help prevent injuries
Not all USU students are asleep at 3 a.m.
Some surrender to late-night cravings at the local Rancherito’s, referred to by many as Beto’s. Others are on break during graveyard shifts at work. Several may even be engaged in early morning cram sessions for an upcoming exam.
While many students’ sleep schedules are determined by drowsiness, grades or appetite — Drew Roska’s span of shut-eye is determined by the weather, he said.
Roska, a senior majoring in special education, is one of 24 long-term employees who work for landscape operations to remove snow and ice on campus during the winter months.
“When it snows during the night, the University Police call us at 3 a.m.,” Roska said. “We have to be in at 4 a.m. and work until the snow is cleared from all of the sidewalks.”
After being contacted in the event of a late-night snowstorm, the landscape operations crew uses a combination of mechanized equipment and shovels to remove snow and ice before students and faculty arrive around 7 a.m.
“I’m a morning guy anyway, so I don’t mind getting up early,” Roska said. “It goes pretty quick, because we have a great crew.”
Because the crew members work during early morning hours, they are often subjected to severe wind chill and temperatures well below freezing.
“This work is not for the faint of heart,” Roska said.
Though Roska and his colleagues are responsible for the major walkways on campus, there are additional employees who assist in removing snow and ice.
“Equipment operators are responsible for roads and parking lots, and facilities maintenance personnel take care of sidewalks leading up to the building entrances,” said Jim Huppi, landscape architect and landscape manager for USU.
On occasion, additional part-time employees are also contacted to assist in hand shoveling.
“This year, we usually have personnel available 18 hours a day,” Huppi said.
When early morning storms are not in the forecast, Roska said he works daytime hours to remove snow and ice between late afternoon and evening. An additional crew arrives on site each day at 6 a.m. to address icy spots that may have developed overnight.
Despite an efficient routine of frequent ice removal and upkeep, USU Facilities and the landscape operations team occasionally encounter obstacles.
“If a storm begins during the day or late afternoon, the snow gets walked on before we can finish and turns into ice,” Huppi said. “We also have to go a lot slower, because there are people on the sidewalks.”
In times of intense snowfall and wind, recently shoveled walkways can also become icy moments later.
“In a perfect world, it would stop snowing at 3 o’clock in the morning, so when we got here at 4 a.m., we could shovel and be done by the time everybody gets here,” Roska said. “Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world.”
As the Facilities team works to do its best, students and faculty members can also take precautions to avoid injuries from slipping on the ice.
“The reality is, everyone has to take some responsibility for their own walking,” said Joe Dulin, risk manager for USU Risk Management Services. “But when you live in a climate like ours, sometimes people slip and fall.”
Dulin said there is an average of three “significant” ice-related falls each year in which bone fractures occur.
“Many people fall on their outstretched hands, injuring their wrists, forearms or elbows,” said Dr. Jim Davis, executive director of Student Health, Wellness, and Recreation. “Others hurt their knee or twist their ankle when they are falling.”
While some ice-related incidents are unavoidable, measures can be taken to prevent serious injury, he said.
Both Davis and Dulin said it’s important to where shoes with good traction and non-slick soles on particularly icy days. To ensure stability on the ice and prevent further damage to his knees, Davis said he wears Yaktrax, a traction attachment that conforms to most shoes.
Dulin said ice-related injuries can also be prevented by selecting appropriate pathways. Because sidewalks on north-facing sides are sheltered from the sun, they typically develop the most ice. Outdoor stairways can also be dangerous due to narrow ledges and channeled paths of water, he said
“The Old Main steps are a constant problem area,” Roska said. “The ground isn’t absorbing any of the melting water, and it has a created an icy patch on the bottom landing. I always have to hit that one up with a decent amount of salt.”
If unaddressed icy areas are discovered on campus, students and faculty can contact the facilities customer service office to report the location, Dulin said.
Although there has been minimal snowfall and few injuries this year, the snow and ice-removal crews continually strive to become better, he said.
“We take (falls) very seriously,” Dulin said. “We have an interdepartmental meeting every (autumn) to talk about snow and ice removal across campus. When someone does fall and get hurt, we take it personally.”
– drew.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu