Safecote Usage

Safecote treated salt is currently being used in over 120 Winter Maintenance depots in the UK.  It is now the only de-icing product being used by over 25 Councils in the UK, with a further 37 using it as part of their winter service armoury.

Feedback from engineers includes:

• Reactivation has been witnessed with Safecote being spread at 7pm and reactivating after snow at 9am the following morning.
• Conservative estimates have already seen up to a 40% reduction in material used to cover the same target area, this has resulted in longer spreading routes being planned before needing to return to depot.
• The product hits the target area and stays there - there is reduced bounce, greater adhesion to the road surface and less product in the verges.
• No lumping or caking in the hopper due to better flowability of Safecote so that no wash down of the hopper is required.
• (Operational data has suggested that it is beneficial not to wash down as Safecote is a corrosion inhibitor and will protect gritters from rusting. This equates to substantial labour savings on wash down time and whole life machinery costs)
• Spinners and chutes are experiencing no clogging and do not have to be manually cleared while on the road.
• A visual examination of the roads shows a better and more even spread of material in the target area - drivers have noted that Safecote is more visible on the road than rock salt alone.
• Drivers have commented that Safecote melts ice within minutes, this occurs through superior ice undercutting and penetration - no trafficking is required to activate these ice melting properties.
• There is elimination of damage to cage over hopper due to zero lumping.
• Yard staff can load the Safecote more quickly and easily.
• From a safety point of view the back of the gritters are much cleaner, as are number plates, tail lights, reflective plates, flashing beacons and paint work are more visible.
• There is much less dust when spreading, compared with normal 6mm salt.
• After 4mm of rain Safecote salt was still visible on the carriageway.
• We have reduced our applications by 20% due to increased confidence of residual salt levels.

In their words, it "does what it says on the tin."

In addition Safecote is being used as an additive to liquid chloride brines in 8 other European Countries with exceptional results.