In the midst of the busy growing season, it can be challenging to find the time to focus on specific safety issues. Crews are trying to operate as efficiently as possible, but when safety isn’t top of mind, it can result in costly injuries.
Your team members can encounter a combination of hazards on a regular basis. Below are some of the most common threats and how you can educate crews on mitigating them.
Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips, trips and falls occur most often when employees are in a hurry and aren’t paying attention or try to take shortcuts. Untidy jobsites can also result in team members tripping. This can lead to broken bones, concussions or other painful types of injuries.
Coach team members on the importance of paying attention to their surroundings as sticks, stones, and holes in the terrain can all lead to tripping or falling. Crews should understand to clean up spills and keep equipment and cords in their proper places.
If trips and falls are frequently happening with your team due to rushing, talk to them about their current workload. There might be a disconnect between your sales team and what can be produced in a safe, yet efficient manner.
Overexertion and Strains/Sprains
Another common cause of injuries is when employees overexert themselves, resulting in musculoskeletal disorders such as muscle strains, lower-back injuries, tendinitis, and rotator-cuff injuries.
Sprains and strains can easily occur when crew members are loading or unloading trucks and trailers with everything from equipment and plant material to mulch and decorative stone.
Implementing a morning stretch program with your team can help protect your team as stretching improves muscle elasticity and leads to increased muscle control, flexibility and range of motion.
Additionally, lifting heavy objects can lead to back injuries if done improperly. Coach team members on the proper form for lifting safely. Stress that weight alone doesn’t determine the risk of lifting. It also depends on how often something is lifted, whether the worker is bending or twisting while lifting, how high the object is lifted, how long it is lifted and if the object is held closely to the body or not.
Remind crew members there isn’t a competition between who can lift the heaviest objects. Encourage them to use tools like wheel barrows and skid-steer loaders when available or ask for another team member’s help.
Cuts and Amputations
Many of the tools and equipment used on the job feature sharp blades that can lead to cuts and even amputation of limbs. In fact, cuts, lacerations and punctures are the second most common type of injury in the industry.
Tasks like pruning, mowing and trimming can be taken for granted as everyday tasks but when crews forget to take proper precautions, they can sustain injuries. Regularly discuss how employees should safely uses the tools and the PPE they should be wearing as well.
Remind crew members to make sure safety guards are on all equipment and that these should never be removed. In some instances, using plant growth regulators instead can prevent employees from having to operating tools like hedge trimmers in dangerous situations.
Struck By and Equipment-Related Accidents
On a busy jobsite, it is also easy for employees to be struck by flying debris or moving machinery. Protecting your team from these types of incidents comes down to stressing the importance of wearing proper PPE and having spotters for equipment blind spots.
If employees are continually failing to wear eye protection or other forms of PPE, discuss with them if it is a comfort issue. Sometimes, sourcing better fitting PPE will increase their usage rate. Other times, certain individuals may not be able to match your company’s safety culture and should not remain with the organization.
In situations where employees are at risk of being struck by a piece of equipment like a backhoe or loader, a spotter who knows where all the other team members are on a site can help prevent these kinds of accidents. Similarly, when tree work is being conducted, rope off these areas and clearly mark them so crew members know to avoid falling branches.
Heat Stress
As temperatures rise as the year progresses, the risk of heat-related illnesses increases as well. Staying properly hydrated can sound like common sense but the progression from dehydration to heat stroke can take hours or as little as 20 minutes, depending on a person’s health, the type of work they’re doing, and weather conditions.
Educate crew members on the common symptoms of various forms of heat stress and how they should respond. Encourage them to drink small amounts of water frequently and take regular breaks. Talk to your team members and see if they have hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes, or take anti-inflammatory medication, as these all make them more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.
Safety stand-downs don’t have to be time-consuming to be effective. Revisiting common hazards and reinforcing safe practices can help keep employees safe as they work during the busiest time of the year.
Are you committed to a building a strong safety culture? Then enter in NALP’s Safety Recognition Awards, which recognize organizations that prioritize safe work practices and gives teams a chance to be celebrated for their efforts.
