Ice melt is one of the best ways to keep your facility, employees and visitors protected from the dangerous hazards of an icy entrance. Ice melt is critical in controlling ice and snow on walkways and can be used to remove existing ice, or as a preventive measure before a storm hits.
Did you know in Canada over 42,000 workers get injured annually due to slip and fall accidents? When you pair this with projections that this winter will have above average snowfall, back-to-back storms and freezing rain and sleet in some regions, having the right ice melt to keep your facility safe is critical. Ice melt causes either an endothermic or exothermic chemical reaction with ice.
Endothermic ice melts are most common, and work by lowering the freezing point of the surface, which causes ice to melt. This includes rock salts and potassium chloride.
Exothermic ice melts react with moisture to create heat, which melts ice on surfaces. These include calcium chloride and magnesium chloride.
Ice melt granule size also plays into the effectiveness of the product. For example, larger granules have a slower melting action, and though they penetrate through ice layers, may not dissolve slippery underlying brine layers. This is different from small ice melt granules, which melt through ice much more quickly when used in large quantities, but they’re easy to overuse. Medium-sized ice melt granules are the most effective on the market, as they penetrate through ice layers and break ice to surface bonds to allow for easy ice removal.
Did you know that you can prevent slips and trips before they happen? Applying ice melt to a walkway or loading area before a storm hits stops ice from bonding to the surface area and prevents ice buildup.
Selecting Ice Melt That’s Worth its Salt
Looking for an ice melt that’s tough enough for our cold Canadian winters? REGARD Ice Melt is fast-acting, long-lasting and offers consistent, even flowing granulation. Its blue colouring makes it easy to see exactly where it’s been applied and it melts ice down to -24°C.
Contact your local rep to learn more about using and choosing ice melt in your facility.
