Landscape Management, May 2018

Continued from page 32 May 2018 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET 41 Photo curbys lawn Garden Curbys Lawn Garden When asked about the last time Curbys Lawn Garden dealt with an accident Larry Craig safety and quality control manager replies Maybe we had a minor traffic accident more than a decade ago but it was so long ago I cant quite remember A winner of the National Association of Landscape Professionals NALP 2016 Best of the Best Award Curbys is located in Gardner Kan and was founded in 1984 Its been awarded NALPs Overall Safety Achievement in Gold Award for three consecutive years 2014 2015 2016 with additional gold awards in 2007 and 2011 according to NALP Other safety awards from NALP include one bronze and four silver Overall Achievement Awards and eight Triple Awards no injuries and illnesses no days away from work and no vehicle accidents among others The company employs up to 30 crew members and offers 85 percent design build and installation 15 percent irrigation and water management services to an 80 percent residential 20 percent commercial clientele I think our record just stands on its own says Craig who has been with Curbys for more than 20 years Everyone just tries to be aware and its been drilled into them so its automatic every morning Craig who has served as safety manager since 2004 adds safety has always been a top priority for the company Curby himself has always stressed that safety is our No 1 thing he says of the companys owner Curby Hughes To ensure all employees new and seasoned are on the same page Craig leads a mandatory safety meeting each month If a crew member is unable to attend the company arranges to discuss the information with him at a later date Typically lasting about 30 minutes on a Wednesday morning each meeting takes place in the companys conference room with a hands on demonstration in the field afterward depending on the meetings topic Topics include First aid basics for addressing minor cuts and injuries with first aid kits provided in each company vehicle How to properly back up vehicles such as trucks trailers skid loaders and front loaders to avoid backing accidents Proper use of hand tools such as chainsaws and gasoline trimmers to avoid using or fueling when equipment is too hot Correct trailer attachment technique Avoiding hearing loss and wearing ear plugs when running noisy equipment Good housekeeping for keeping work areas free of clutter and debris and Drug and alcohol awareness complete with a warning that drug or alcohol use on the job is terms for automatic dismissal Craig chooses topics from information he receives from industry magazine articles Kansas State University KSU NALP and gas and electrical companies among others During each meeting he passes out a handout with the relevant safety information written in English and Spanish The handouts are already translated into Spanish by the source organization such as KSU NALP or industry magazines when Craig receives them but Curbys has two bilingual management staff members if further clarification is needed We make copies in English and Spanish so employees can go over it and if they have questions they can ask Craig says Having the Spanish copy has always been helpful At the meetings Craig also addresses any safety related problems that have cropped up within the past month Crews are on board with safety measures and they take an interest in not wanting to have an injury Craig says He says employees are not offered additional incentives for safe behavior mostly because crews have learned to demonstrate such behavior on their own OSHAs top 10 The following is a list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites by federal OSHA for fiscal year 2017 OSHA said it publishes this list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards addressed in these and other standards before OSHA shows up 1 Fall protection construction 2 Hazard communication standard general industry 3 Scaffolding general requirements construction 4 Respiratory protection general industry 5 Control of hazardous energy lockout tag out general industry 6 Ladders construction 7 Powered industrial trucks general industry 8 Machinery and machine guarding general requirements 9 Fall protection training requirements 10 Electrical wiring methods components and equipment general industry SAfe COmpAny prOfile meet up Larry Craig safety and quality control manager of Curbys Lawn Garden conducts a monthly safety meeting