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As cleaning, maintaining and repairing equipment is a normal part of a lawn or landscape company’s operations, it’s important to practice lockout/tagout procedures during these tasks. Lockout means placing a lock on a machine to prevent it from unexpectedly starting or energizing during service or repair. A lock might also prevent stored energy from being […]
Guest content by Chris Lingard, director of risk and safety at HeartLand, LLC With 20+ years in health and safety, this profession still fascinates me because there is no easy button or step model for success. Although safety is often seen as auditing, behavioral correction, common sense, and discipline, it is truly about people, their […]
Everyone has had a close call at one time or another. While it’s a relief when no property is damaged and no personal injuries occur, if you and your team don’t take the time to analyze these events, the factors that contributed to a close call are like to recur. The next time, it could […]
It’s typical to think of your home when it comes to emergency preparedness, but your business should also have a plan and procedures in place to ensure it can recover from natural disasters as well. Having an emergency preparedness plan can make the difference between staying in business afterwards or losing everything. According to FEMA, […]
As you grow your team or deal with turnover, one thing you have to deal with is training your new hires and bringing them up to speed. Safety is also critical for these new employees. In their first month on the job, these employees are three times more at risk for a lost-time injury than […]
Strains and sprains are common injuries that can occur in the landscape industry, but they can also be easily prevented with simple stretching techniques. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) account for more than 30 percent of all nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases each year. Employers pay $20 billion annually in direct workers’ compensation costs. This […]
When it comes to the workplace, it’s essential to encourage and enforce safety among employees to create a more comfortable and secure environment. However, it can be hard to keep your employees engaged in safety training. When your employees are not committed to establishing a safe work atmosphere, they put themselves and their co-workers at […]
If your lawn or landscape company has multiple locations, whether it’s a few cities or a few states over, consistency can be a challenge to ensure that each team receives the same level of safety training. Individual instructors have their own experiences, capabilities and biases so trainees at different locations can receive different messages. You […]
Landscape crews are far more likely to encounter poisonous plants than the general population so it’s important they know how to identify and reduce their exposure to them. According to OSHA, 85 percent of the population develops an allergy if exposed to poison oak, poison ivy or poison sumac. Even if a worker didn’t have […]
In October 2021, OSHA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings. The ANPRM cites a high risk of heat-related illnesses and a significant number of workplace violations in a variety of industries including landscaping. “While heat illness is largely preventable and commonly […]