WSA Member Update 2.15.25

WSA Member Update 2.15.25

February 15, 2025 Dear WSA Members, I hope this finds everyone doing well during these extreme climate events many of us have been going through! Everyone should have received their renewal invoice via our FreshBooks account. Although most of you have already renewed your membership, some of you may not have seen the invoice in your in-box. If you haven’t yet received it, please let me know. As many of you will already know, I write a WSA article for each issue of PAVEMENT Magazine. The upcoming article focuses on the increased value sweeping should be given by the professionals tasked with stormwater pollutant removal. However, the fact is that in large part they are not currently aware that street sweeping is a 500-700% less expensive way to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, two of the pollutants most targeted for removal. As a member, here is an early copy of the upcoming magazine article. Related to the topic of training and empowering your employees to report what they see, which we included in our January Update, here’s another item I thought you’d find of interest. Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) offered a whitepaper entitled “Build a Culture of Safety To Lower Costs & Drive Success.” To explain the information, which is free to WSA members, they say: “Fleet safety goes beyond compliance. It requires a culture in which drivers are empowered with good training and supported with state-of-the-art technology. Proactive fleet managers educate and engage their drivers, reduce risks, and work to improve safety outcomes with innovative strategies.” I am working with the South Coast Air Quality Management District management team in an attempt to interest them in getting involved with the sweeper testing process I’m spearheading for this summer via a Sea Grant/NOAA award. To better familiarize them with the removal differences – especially environmental – between mechanical broom sweepers and air sweepers, I developed this handout. I thought some of you might find the information of interest, as well. Due to the widespread liability issues contractors are reporting on social media, I decided to offer the WSA Contract Addendum to the general sweeping community via the upcoming WorldSweeper e-newsletter. In order to promote membership, I am also referencing the WSA informational podcast you were also previously provided. I am inviting WSA members to have an early look at the entire newsletter; it’s scheduled to be released sometime next week. This month, our Safety First! post continues with reminders about safety during the extreme cold being experienced by much of the country. February’s Safety First! message discusses the following: Nuclear WINTER continues ICE & Cold – SLICK roads – Defensive Driving Hydro-Plane Advisory Ergonomics for cold – hand & finger, shoulder and arm strains common Flu Season Advisory As always, if you have questions or comments about this WSA Member Update, or anything else to do with the World Sweeping Association or power sweeping in general, please let me know. Good Sweeping, Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Executive Director World Sweeping Association