Almost 10 years ago, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) determined that our state needed to reduce its salt use significantly to comply with water quality standards, and that about half of the salt load stemmed from parking lots, private roads, and driveways. By participating in salt reduction efforts, professionals in the snow and ice management industry can not only help our environment, but can also be granted liability protection against damages arising from snow and ice conditions, such as slip and fall claims.
In order to earn this liability protection, which began being offered in 2013 under RSA 508:22, salt applicators must complete the New Hampshire Certified Green SnowPro training course and obtain their NHDES Salt Applicator Certification. The liability protection arising from snow and ice conditions applies not only to those holding the certificates, but also to those who hire a certified applicator.
The program began as a partnership between NHDES and the University of New Hampshire, but is now open to the private sector, and according to the New Hampshire Association of Insurance Agents (NHAIA), by reducing liability concerns the Salt Applicator Certificate has proven valuable to many private contractors, their clients, and their insurance companies. In fact, the NHAIA reports that to date, 685 individuals have become Certified Salt Applicators, and three of these certified applicators are currently involved in claims that they plan to deny in court, citing the liability protection granted to them through the certification program. Through monitoring these cases, NHDES recently learned that one of the three claims was dropped when the liability protection was cited.
Additional Salt Applicator Certification Benefits
In addition to potentially reducing exposure in liability to slip and fall lawsuits, the Green SnowPro training program and Salt Applicator Certification offers snow removal professionals the following benefits:
- Establish yourself and your organization as an authority in your industry. According to NHDES, NH Certified Green SnowPros are leaders in the snow removal industry, who are trained in the most up to date technologies and snow management practices to ensure a high level of service and safety to their customers. Click here to view a list of certified salt applicators.
- Help keep our local waterbodies clean. As of 2014, NHDES reports that 46 water bodies in New Hampshire are polluted with chloride due to road salt application. Once in our water supplies, there is no practical way to remove salt. Trained in the best salt reduction practices, Certified Green SnowPros will help ensure clean water for our future generations.
For additional information on the NH Voluntary Salt Applicator Certification and Green SnowPro training courses, visit des.nh.gov. To stay up to date on the latest insurance information, safety tips, and other useful resources, please subscribe to our blog or contact us.