Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Media Communications & Client Services Specialist Lauren Stumpf discuss safety concerns in the landscaping industry as demand for these types of services increase in the warmer months.

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SafetyOne™ App

Director/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Lauren Stumpf

Producer/Editor: Megan Lockhart

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

© Copyright 2023. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 is Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications and Client Services Specialist with Rancho Mesa. Today, we're going to talk about safety concerns in the landscaping industry as demand for these types of services increase in the warmer months. Lauren, welcome to the show.

Lauren Stumpf: Hi Alyssa, thanks for having me.

AB: Now, we’re in the middle of summer and during the day we hear the sounds of trimmers and lawn mowers maintaining both residential and commercial properties.  And, it’s this time of year we see an increase in demand for these types of services.

The weather is warm and plants are growing like crazy, I know my yard is going nuts right now. So, the industry sees an increase in demand and that means they’re hiring more workers to do jobs that can be quit dangerous.

Lauren, how dangerous is the landscaping industry?

LS: Well, from 2011 to 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 1,072 work-related fatalities occurred in the landscaping and groundskeeping industry. In 2021 alone, 142 workers in this industry suffered fatal workplace injuries. We don’t have the numbers for 2022 yet, but we still have time to lower the number of incidents for this year in 2023.

AB: Absolutely, and I think the average person wouldn’t think about this line of work as being too dangerous, but there are some serious hazards when using hedgers, trimmers, and lawn mowers, and dealing with the public. So, how are fatal incidents occurring in the landscaping industry? 

LS: Typically, fatal injuries are a result of a worker being struck by a vehicle, but there are certainly other hazards that can potentially lead landscapers and groundskeepers to suffer serious or fatal injuries, according to OSHA.

AB: Alright, so are these serious and fatal injuries a result of a lack of training or something else?

LS: Well, Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary for OSHA, was quoted saying “Landscaping can be dangerous when workers lack experience and appropriate training in a language they understand. Too often, our inspectors find workers harmed in ways that their employers could have prevented by following federal and industry safety standards. We urge employers to implement strategies that involve their workers and protect everyone,” end quote.

AB: I can see how a lack of training and inexperience would be a huge factor in the number of incidents and severity that occur when we see demand increases in the Summer.

Employers see an increase in demand from their customers, so they hire employees who may or may not have experience in this line of work in order to fulfill their contracts.  If employers don’t spend the time upfront to train new hires, they could be looking at some serious injuries.

Lauren, how would you recommend employers train their employees to prevent these types of injuries in the first place?

LS: Well, we know landscapers routinely face hazards like exposure to chemicals like fertilizer and pesticides, respiratory hazards, lack of personal protective equipment on their hands and feet, moving parts on machinery like lawn mower blades and chainsaws, water hazards like ponds and ditches, electrical power lines, and exposure to extreme Summer heat. All of these hazards can be addressed in regular safety meetings or toolbox talks. Rancho Mesa clients have access to our SafetyOne™ mobile app where safety topics can be accessed and the meeting documented via a mobile device so management can see in real-time whether or not a safety meeting took place on the schedule day on the appropriate topic.

AB: Alright. And in addition to regular safety meetings, continued formal training on safety topics is a must for both new and seasoned employees to ensure that safety is on the mind of every employee. Through SafetyOne, our clients can access a library of online safety courses to ensure the same information is being distributed to all employees, and it also reinforces the company’s commitment to the safety of its employees.     

Lauren, how can listeners learn more about using the SafetyOne app to improve their safety program? 

LS: Yeah, so we have free webinars on our website where administrators can learn how to use the SafetyOne platform and employees can learn how to use the mobile app.  If clients are interested in implementing SafetyOne, they can visit RanchoMesa.com and look for the SafetyOne page to learn more.

AB: Alright, well Lauren, thank you so much for joining me in StudioOne.

LS: Thanks Alyssa.

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.