Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Account Executive of the Landscape Group Greg Garcia discuss typical workers’ compensation claims that are common for landscapers.

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Director/Producer/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Greg Garcia

Editor: Lauren Stumpf

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

Transcript

[Introduction Music]

Alyssa Burley: Hi, this is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa’s Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today's top Rancho Mesa news brought to you by our Safety and Risk Management Network, StudioOne™.

Welcome back, everyone. My guest today is Greg Garcia, Account Executive in the Landscape Group with Rancho Mesa. Greg specializes in providing commercial insurance and risk management to lawn and landscape businesses. Today, we’re going to discuss typical workers’ compensation claims that are common for landscapers. Greg, thank you for joining us.

Greg Garcia: Yeah, Alyssa. First time in StudioOne™, really excited to be here.

AB: Workers’ compensation premiums typically represent one of the largest overhead expenses for landscape companies. Premium costs are driven by the number and severity of claims a company has had over a five-year period. Thus, fewer claims often equate to a lower premium paid for workers’ compensation insurance. You recently reviewed data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also known as NIOSH, that details where claim frequency is increasing and also decreasing in the landscape industry. What did the data show?

GG: When analyzing the claims data, a couple of areas stand out as contributors to higher premiums. Most notably, 50% of all serious claims occur during the first year of an employee’s tenure. Employees under the age of 34 are also more susceptible to serious claim occurrence. Therefore, it is best to provide new hires with immediate and comprehensive safety training when they first start and continue to emphasize a safety culture throughout their tenure to minimize these claims. A good example of a landscape company being proactive in reducing these types of claims, is to have new employees wear a different colored vest, helmet, or gloves, to signify that they are new. By doing this it is allowing other team members to say okay, this is a new employee, let’s make sure we keep a close eye on them, make sure they’re following all of our safety protocols, and that they’re using equipment properly. By doing this it will help reduce some of these claims.

AB: Absolutely, as employees gain experience, they become more likely to take safety seriously. Perhaps they have seen their co-workers get hurt and they want to avoid those mistakes. What other areas stood out to you?

GG: The data also showed that loading and unloading trucks and trailers causes roughly 20% of all serious claims. This includes loading and unloading materials, tools, and equipment. Although a seemingly simple task, it’s often overlooked, yet statistics confirm that improved attention to safety when performing these tasks can significantly reduce serious claims.

AB: I can see how someone could easily get hurt. They’re lifting and bending while moving equipment. Lower back sprains can easily happen like that. What can business owners do to avoid those types of employee injuries?

GG: The industry has actually seen a considerable decline in claims from overexertion injuries like back sprains and disc disorders which were once large contributors to higher premiums. The improvement of lifting techniques and implementation of programs like Rancho Mesa’s Mobility & Stretch/A.B.L.E. Lift Program, have played key roles in reducing these claims. Programs like these ensure employees are lifting properly while also stretching their muscles before they begin work. I can relate to this because after playing professional baseball for 10 years I can promise you there was not one game that I played in that I did not stretch beforehand. It goes hand in hand with the landscape industry, a lot of times these employees are going out early, it can be cold, they need to make sure their bodies are properly stretched and loose before they begin work to try to limit some of these claims. I would highly recommend everyone signing up for our Mobility & Stretch/A.B.L.E. Lift Protocol webinar. Alyssa, how would they go about doing that?

AB: So, anyone can sign up for our Mobility & Stretch/A.B.L.E. Lift Protocol webinar on ranchomesa.com. Just click on the workshops and webinars link in the navigation bar to find a day and time that works best for you. It’s also part of our RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program, and we’ll put links to both of those in our episode notes. Greg, what would you say to a business owner that wants to know how to prevent these injuries?

GG: Well, reducing workers’ compensation claims should be a top priority for any landscape company. Not only does it protect employees from harm but it also can benefit the company’s bottom line. As an added resource to reducing workers’ compensation claims, Rancho Mesa encourages landscape businesses to take advantage of available safety trainings for new and experienced employees, implement safety measures for loading and unloading trucks, and utilize the Mobility & Stretch/A.B.L.E. Lift Protocol.

I’d also like to extend an offer out to our listeners. In order for you to take your safety program to the next level, sign up and receive our weekly safety training tailgate topics specifically designed for the landscape industry. They’re sent out every Tuesday and include an English and a Spanish trainings.

AB: We’ll also include a link to that sign up form in the episode notes. Greg, if listeners have questions about managing their risk for worker’ compensation claims, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

GG: Yeah, they can give me a call and my number is (619) 438-6905 or shoot me an email at ggarcia@ranchomesa.com.

[Closing Music]

AB: Greg, thank you for joining me in StudioOne™.

GG: Alyssa, thanks for having me.

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.