Landscape Management, May 2018

Belknap employees fill a variety of professional roles each day such as driver landscaper equipment operator and more We talked about What does the day at Belknap look like I asked myself why were out there and its to make sure everyone gets home to their families Smith says Belknap a 7 million firm thats part of the LandOpt network does 50 percent maintenance for commercial and residential clients and 50 percent design build for a mostly high end residential clientele Depending on the season the company employs 85 to 100 people Smith noted that in 2017 Belknaps primary workers comp claims were for poison ivy small lacerations such as workers sustaining small cuts from pruning shears and light muscle strains Those are all things that just occur and were doing pretty well if thats what were dealing with but theres always room for improvement he says Persistence and consistency also have been key to maintaining a good safety record according to Smith With safety some of these changes can be scary to make for example going drug free as the company did 15 years ago he says You dont know how its going to be or where youre going to land but in the end these efforts have improved our culture immensely You have to be confident that some of these changes as difficult as they may be 32 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET May 2018 theres a reason he says Youre setting a new standard and working to make the profile of the green industry better If you dont have the budget or the time to invest in a large scale safety meeting Smith has a few recommendations for improving your safety program Start small Safety meetings and trainings are crucial so dont let money be the determining factor just start somewhere Smith says He also cautions against trying to change everything at once instead focus on one or two items you would like to improve and build on those Use your resources Scheduling meetings trainings and audits with organizations and vendors you already have relationships with can be a useful cost free way to ensure safety training is woven into the everyday culture at your company Belknap takes advantage of Department of Transportation DOT consultant visits The consultant conducts driver audits and pretrip inspections and reviews DOT laws since those change regularly The company also conducts quarterly safety audits with its insurance agent where they analyze data about incidents and near misses Belknap also uses free resources on the Tree Care Industry Associations and the New Hampshire Landscape Associations websites as part of its safety programs Get creative When Belknap signs new contracts for equipment it ensures that the contract includes proper training from the suppliers expert Smith explains Its a win win We get the best training possible and theres less reliance on our staff to provide it The benefit for the company is that they are training our people to run their equipment so we can do more business which allows us to do more business with them Abby Hart Continued on page 41 Photos Katya Danilova DorogameDia com istocK com maDamleaD PPE who pays Personal protective equipment PPE is an important safety topic Consider that an initial 1910132 PPE citation carries a fine of more than 12900 This amount can increase manyfold if the cited firm ignores or fails to abate the unsafe condition resulting in the citation says Sam Steel safety adviser for the National Association of Landscape Professionals So who pays for it the employer or the employee Its a question that comes up time and again on industry forums and at conferences We asked Steel for guidance OSHA has stated and ruled numerous times that PPE selection and purchase is the responsibility of the employer he says noting there are exceptions for certain items like steel toe shoes and prescription glasses With prescription glasses the employer must provide protective eye wear that fits over glasses One other exception is worker misuse and or abuse of the PPE where the employer can charge the worker for replacement PPE This must be carefully documented by the employer When it comes to selecting PPE Steel says the choice should be based on the companys worksite hazard audits where specific dangers like flying debris eye wear required excessive noise hearing protection required and respirable dusts respiratory protection required are identified Marisa Palmieri tailgate talk Informal safety briefings help ensure everyone is on the same page cover story