Dear Valued Customer,

In this issue of the “—————————-” we focus on safety and health topics related to providers of landscape and horticultural services.

Read the Safety and Health Bulletin and find out about employer responsibilities and worker rights. Understand how to implement a comprehensive safety and health program; it’s an important tool in providing both a safe, and profitable, workplace.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) can help with safety information and tools which can make your environment a better place. Read on to see some of the relevant material we have selected from their site.

We appreciate your continued business and look forward to serving you.

Kind regards,

Landscape and horticultural services encompass a wide range of services. Included in this category are companies engaged in landscape design and architecture; soil preparation and grading; irrigation systems; tree, shrub and lawn planting; hardscape construction including: retaining walls, pathways and patios; lawn care and landscape maintenance; arborist services including tree trimming and line clearance.

Many workers in the landscaping and horticulture services industries are Hispanic. OSHA requires that employers conduct all required training of workers in a language and vocabulary workers can understand. OSHA’s Hispanic Outreach Module of Compliance Assistance Quick Start, Spanish-Language Compliance Assistance Resources, and Podemos Ayudar (We Can Help) pages identify Spanish-language outreach resources, and detail how employers can work cooperatively with OSHA.

Landscaping and horticulture hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry if work is considered maintenance activity and the construction industry if work is considered building activity.

The implementation of a comprehensive safety and health program is an important tool in providing both a safe, and profitable, workplace. Also provided here are employer and employee resources for Spanish speaking workers and youth workers that may be present in this workforce. The following references were selected to assist in developing a safety and health program for the landscape and horticultural industry.

Example Programs

• Sample Safety and Health Program for Small Business. OSHA.
• Injury and Illness Prevention Model Program for Employers with Intermittent Employees. California Department of Industrial Relations, (1996, October). A Spanish version is also available.

General Resources

• PLANET/STARS Safe Company Program (PDF). Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). Describes a program which is designed for companies in the landcare industry that make a strong commitment to safety and want to help move the entire profession toward safety excellence. Safety Training Achieves Remarkable Success (STARS) members receive assistance in improving their safety programs, documenting and measuring injuries/incidents, and reducing their loss ratios. There is no cost to join the STARS program.
• Job Hazard Analysis (PDF). OSHA Publication 3071, (Revised 2002). Explains what a job hazard analysis is and offers guidelines to help employers conduct their own step-by-step analysis.
• Safety and Health Management Systems. OSHA eTool. Indicates four crucial questions you should be asking when it comes to safety and health programs. The detailed answers are found in the four modules of this eTool.
• $afety Pays Program. OSHA. Assists employers in estimating the costs of occupational injuries and illnesses and the impact on a company’s profitability.
• Safety and Health Management Program Guidelines; Issuance of Voluntary Guidelines. OSHA Federal Register Notice 54:3904-3916, (1989, January 26). Provides safety and health program management guidelines are for use by employers to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.
  • Elements of an Effective Safety and Health Program. OSHA Slide Presentation. Summarizes safety and health program guidelines.
• Safety and Health Add Value (PDF). OSHA Publication 3180. Describes how safety and health add value to your business, your workplace, and your life.
• For additional information, see OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Programs Safety and Health Topics Page.

Hispanic Worker Resources

• Spanish-Language Compliance Assistance Resources. OSHA.
• Hispanic Outreach: Delivering the Safety and Health Message. OSHA. Hispanic Outreach: Making Inroads in Fort Lauderdale. OSHA’s Fort Lauderdale Area Office joins in the agency’s war on workplace fatalities. Job Safety and Health Quarterly, Volume 13. Mentions creative new ways to reach out to Hispanic and Latino workers including those working in landscaping operations.
• OSHA Podemos Ayudar (OSHA Can Help). OSHA’s Spanish-language site.
• Equipo de Protección Personal (Personal Protective Equipment) (PDF*). OSHA Fact Sheet.
• Peligros de operar máquinas cortadoras de piedra sin guardas de seguridad en paisajismo u otros sitios de empleo. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (2013, January).
• Protéjase Contra Los Rayos Dañinos del Sol (Protect Yourself Against the Sun’s Harmful Rays) (PDF). OSHA Publication 3168, (2000).
• Información Sobre Los Riesgos de Los Productos Químicos (Information on the Risks of Chemical Products) (PDF). OSHA Publication 3117, (1989).
• Programa en Español de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo de OR-OSHA (PESO) (OR-OSHA Occupational Safety & Health Program in Spanish). Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division. Includes ready-to-use bilingual (English/Spanish) tailgate safety training lessons and PowerPoint presentations.
• Instituto Nacional para la Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)). Provides a Spanish language web page that includes safety and health information, links to specific Spanish language publications, and links to other Spanish language web pages.
• Peligros eléctricos. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic.
• Petición De Ayuda Para La Prevención De Electrocuciones Debidas a Tomas De Corriente Y a Conectores Averiados (Preventing Electrocutions Due to Damaged Receptacles and Connectors). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1986, October).
• Petición De Ayuda Para La Prevención De Electrocuciones Por Contacto Entre Grúas Y Cables De Alta Tensión(Preventing Electrocutions from Contact Between Cranes and Power Lines). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1985, July).
• Petición De Ayuda Para La Prevención De Muertes a Los Trabajadores Que Se Ponen En Contacto Con La Energía Elécrica (Preventing Fatalities of Workers Who Contact Electrical Energy). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1986, December).

Youth Worker Resources

• Young Workers. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
  • Young Worker Summer Job Safety
    • en Español
• YouthRules! US Department of Labor (DOL).
  • Child Labor Fact Sheets
  • News & Resources
  • Young Worker Toolkit
• Teen Construction Safety (PDF). Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI/DWC). Provides a five minute training safety aid.
• Youth in Agriculture. OSHA eTool. Describes common hazards and potential safety solutions for youth agricultural workers that also apply to youth in landscaping and horticultural work.

Source: United States Department of Labor, “Safety and Health Programs” https://www.osha.gov website. Accessed November 28, 2015. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/landscaping/safetyprograms.html

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

• Small Business. OSHA.
  • On-site Consultation
    • Program Information and Benefits
• OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)

Other Resources

• Hazards of Operating Unguarded Stone Cutters and Splitters in Landscaping and Other Worksites. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin, (2013, January). A Spanish version is also available.
• Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). OSHA Alliance Page.
• Agreement Alliance between OSHA Omaha Area Office and the Nebraska Golf Course Superintendent Association, the Nebraska Professional Lawn Care Association and the Sports Turf Managers Association. OSHA Alliance Agreement. Helps members and others in the landscaping and lawn care industry, including youth and non English speaking workers, with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing exposure to landscaping and lawn care industry hazards. The Alliance focuses on noise, chemicals, machine guarding, ergonomics, weather related hazards and the use of personal protective equipment.
• Quick Cards. OSHA and the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Alliance, (2008, July).
  • Lyme Disease. Addresses prevention of tick bites and identification of Lyme disease.
  • Chipper Winch. Addresses the potential hazards and safe work practices regarding operating chipper winches.
  • Dump Body. Addresses potential hazards and safe work practices regarding operating truck-mounted hydraulic dump bodies.
• Lyme Disease Fact Sheet. OSHA and the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Alliance, (2008, June). Addresses issues associated with Lyme disease, including its symptoms and treatment options and tick bite prevention and control.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Provides musculoskeletal education to orthopaedic surgeons and others, including training courses, medical and scientific publications and electronic media materials.
• Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). Promotes business management skills and the profitability of its members’ businesses. Members have direct access to marketing tools, industry-specific business publications, training materials, and safety and human resources consultants.
  • Preventing Repetitive Motion Injuries in Interior Plantscaping (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance, (2013, September). Provides general safety information on how interior plantscaping workers can prevent and reduce the severity of repetitive motion injuries.
  • Roadside Safety (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance. Provides general safety information on how to work next to motor vehicle traffic during landscaping projects, including the use worker safety apparel and temporary traffic safety barriers.
  • Interior Plantscaping Ladder Safety Quick Card (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance, (2010, September). Describes general safety tips to help prevent injuries to those working with small equipment in landscaping
  • Gasoline Powered Cut-off Machines Quick Card (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance, (2010, August). Describes general safety tips to help prevent injuries to those working with small equipment in landscaping. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Personal Protective Equipment for Mixing Chemicals in Lawn Care Quick Card (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance, (2010, August). Describes general safety tips to help prevent injuries to those working with small equipment in landscaping. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Using Small Equipment Safely in Landscaping Quick Card (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance, (2010, August). Describes general safety tips to help prevent injuries to those working with small equipment in landscaping. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Professional Landcare Network Safety Tips Sheet No. 1: Slip and Trip Injuries (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Professional Landcare Network Safety Tips Sheet No. 2: Reducing the Risk of Lifting Injuries in the Landscape and Horticulture Industries (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Professional Landcare Network Safety Tips Sheet No. 3: Driving Defensively to Reduce the Risk of a Motor Vehicle Crash (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
  • Professional Landcare Network Safety Tips Sheet No. 4: Reducing the Risk of an Amputation (PDF*). OSHA and the PLANET Alliance. A Spanish version (PDF*) is also available.
• National Ag Safety Database (NASD). Serves as a central repository for safety and health information on such topics as back safety/lifting, electrical safety, chemicals/pesticides, and personal protective equipment. Included are tailgate training materials, videos, and Spanish-language safety and health materials.
• NIOSH Agricultural Safety and Health Centers. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Represents a major NIOSH effort to protect the health and safety of agricultural workers and their families.

Source: United States Department of Labor, “OSHA Consultation” https://www.osha.gov website. Accessed November 28, 2015. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/landscaping/additionalinformation.html

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.