Industry Rebuts Article on Landscaping as Unsafe Job for Young Workers

In light of the findings of a recent study by the National Consumers League, a recent article by CNN/Money reported that outdoor jobs in landscaping, groundskeeping and lawn services made took the No. 3 spot on NCL’s list of the five most dangerous jobs for young workers. This is the first time occupations in the green industry have made the list, according to the article published June 9. The report, available on NCL’s Web site notes that a young worker was electrocuted in May while trimming trees.

“While fatality numbers are low in these types of outdoor jobs, work often involves the use of dangerous power tools and machinery, as well as hazardous chemicals and pesticides,” CNN/Money notes.

NCL’s Darlene Adkins, vice president for fair labor standards policy at the organization was quoted as saying: “Working to help save for college, contribute to your family’s budget, or just to enjoy some spending cash is a great idea. But teenagers and their parents need to ask: Is this safe work?”

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY. According to green industry professionals, lawn and landscaping jobs can be exceptionally safe – not to mention rewarding – for young workers, provided they and their employers take the proper steps toward training and education.

“To categorize the landscaping industry as categorically unsafe for teenage workers, or any workers for that matter, is misleading,” says Tom Davis, president, Bozzuto Landscpaing, Laurel Md. “Many landscaping companies – if not most – place great emphasis on maintaining safety standards for their employees. In fact, their company culture revolves around safety – their work habits, employee training and continuous evaluation for areas of improvement. In addition, equipment manufacturers are now focusing on providing safer equipment, and college landscaping programs offer a great deal of curriculum in the area of job safety.”

Bozzuto Landscaping is one company in particular that focus on safety, with its summer internship program offering a focus on safety particularly for younger workers. With training on equipment and consistent supervision and mentoring, Bozzuto interns have a number of opportunities to learn the ropes of safe lawn and landscape techniques from seasoned professionals in the company. (Read more about the company’s internship program in the Lawn & Landscape How We Do It article “Offering Internships at Bozzuto Landscaping.")

Still, Davis says “teenage workers and their parents need to be diligent researching potential employers and making job choices that are safe and provide a great learning opportunity.” Safety education, he says, begins at home at a young age and continues as children grow into young members of the workforce. He offers a few tips to parents as teenagers go job hunting. Green industry employers should keep these tips in mind, as well, when faced with the prospect of hiring a young worker.

“Parents can coach their teenagers in asking specific questions on job safety during an interview,” Davis suggests. “For example, the teenagers can ask about a company’s approach to training, the kinds of safety equipment the company provides and the company’s track record when it comes to on-the-job injuries or other safety concerns.”

Another company that prides itself on its safety for all workers – not just teenagers or new graduates – is Dennis’ 7 Dees Landscaping, Portland, Ore. President David Snodgrass is also chair of the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) safety committee. “Our industry is targeted by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) as being a high-risk industry, but being on that list means we’re paying attention to potential dangers and that’s made us much safer as an industry,” Snodgrass says. “We’re doing a lot to turn that around and as an industry, we’re getting much better. If you look at now vs. just two or three years ago, it’s like night and day. A lot of that has been driven by insurance costs and the dissemination about safety to the industry from organizations like PLANET.”

Like Daivs, Snodgrass suggests a list of questions parents and job applicants should ask potential employers to ensure that young workers are going to work for professional companies. Employers also should be prepared to answer these questions – even if they applicant doesn’t ask – in an effort to proactively represent the company as a safe work environment:

• Does your company win awards?
• Has your company won any awards or commendations for safety?
• What is the company’s MOD rate? (This is a ratio of the company’s insurance claims to labor hours for the year. A rating of 1 means the company is at the industry average. Ratings below 1 reflect fewer claims for the year and a movement toward a rating better than the industry average.)
• How many days has it been since the company’s last time-loss accident?
• What is the company’s safety orientation program like? How long does it last and what does it cover?
• Does the company belong to a professional association?

“Talking about safety in the green industry is a great topic because we, as well as other companies in the industry, have a peak season in the spring when we’re hiring a bunch of new people,” Snodgrass says. “Those new hires may not be used to our safety culture and we may assume that everyone’s on the same page. It really takes some good training, orientation and an introduction of safety as a strong part of the company culture to ensure that everyone’s paying attention to safety at all times.”

At Dennis’ 7 Dees, new employees go through a company orientation on their first day on the job, and also are introduced to equipment and techniques through a two-week in-house training program. Moreover, the whole company does 10 minutes of stretching every morning, which has helped the company successfully lower its MOD rate and limit everyday strain from heavy lifting on the jobsite. During morning stretching, any accidents from the previous day are discussed, keeping them top of mind for all employees.

“Beyond all of that, everyone in the company needs to have a responsibility for their own safety and for that of their crews or the employees who answer to them,” Snodgrass adds. “Supervisors are responsible for crew deadlines, training, quality control and all of that, but along the same lines, they’re responsible for the safety of everyone they supervise.”

GREEN & GROWING – SAFELY. Individual companies like Dennis’ 7 Dees and Bozzuto Landscaping take it upon themselves to ensure that safety is a key component of their company cultures. This speaks well to the fact that the green industry recognizes potential safety hazards and does a great deal to mitigate them.

Barb Mulhern is the first Safety Specialist for PLANET and in a little less than a year on the job has developed a safety newsletter for association members and works closely with OSHA to develop industry-specific safety information. In fact, OSHA, in alliance with PLANET, launched its Landscape & Horticultural Services Safety & Health Topics Web page in early June. The Web page provides information on a number of hazards that green industry workers face, such as motor vehicle accidents, ergonomics, lifting, slips and falls, hand injuries, heat and cold stress, pesticides and chemicals, and more. Safety information also is broken down by industry segment, such as lawn maintenance, tree care, hardscape construction, and more.

OSHA also dedicatees a full section of its Web site to youth workers, with links for teenagers and parents in both English and Spanish.

“Part of OSHA’s partnership with PLANET is to include information for youth workers because we recognize we’re getting individuals of all ages doing landscape work,” Mulhern says. “As a result, all of our agreements include making sure that we’re able to reach youth workers by developing safety tip sheets and other information, that isn’t always readily available to younger workers.”

Mulhern notes that the safety information provided by OSHA is available to all business owners – not just PLANET members. Likewise, Snodgrass notes that PLANET’S STARS Safe Company Program is open to all green industry companies, regardless of their membership status with the organization. “STARS is a great program that funnels a lot amount of safety information to green industry companies,” he notes. “Even companies who have not become members of PLANET can join the STARS program and have that information at their disposal.”

In addition to working with professional lawn and landscape companies throughout the green industry, PLANET also has reached out to universities that have industry-related curriculum. The annual PLANET Student Career Days event brings students, educators and industry together for three days of “landscape Olympics” and a career fair where students can gain internships and find permanent jobs in the industry upon graduation.

Mulhern says safety is always top-of-mind at Student Career Days and will be even more so beginning next year. “In addition to OSHA having an educational booth set up at the event, our safety committee met during Student Career Days and there were OSHA representatives on hand at the competitive events to ensure that the students were safe and to give advice on how to handle the event next year,” Mulhern says, citing tree climbing and equipment-handling events as prime opportunities for PLANET to further develop its commitment to safety for all members of the industry.

“A lot of students and professors came up to the booth during the Student Career Days event and asked the OSHA representatives about how their safety tools can help their programs and what they need to know when they get into the workforce,” Mulhern adds. “That was a really good way to get the word about safety out to younger people.”

Snodgrass notes that as parents read through the National Consumers League’s list of hazardous jobs, they should maintain a level of perspective on the industries in which their children are looking for work. “In any industry, there’s a range of companies that operate at higher levels of professionalism than others,” he explains. “It’s up to the parents and their teenagers to do the work to find the best companies for their children to gain their experience.

“While there are hazards in working with things like mowers or pesticides or handheld equipment, the best sense you can have is common sense,” Snodgrass adds. “Almost everyone has grown up doing yardwork and our industry is really more of the same on a much more professional, systematic level that takes those familiar experiences and turns them into practical skills. When you think about the few job opportunities that young workers have, it would be a shame to eliminate an entire industry when so many companies are already taking steps to relieve potential dangers.”

Davis agrees. “The benefits of a summer landscaping job for teenagers cannot be emphasized enough,” he says. “There’s the obvious benefit of fresh air and spending the summer outside in beautiful weather. But more importantly, landscapers get to create something beautiful. They’re improving people’s living environments with everything they do.

“Landscaping enhances the setting of everything people do – going to work or school, enjoying restaurants and shopping and so much more,” Davis continues. “Being a part of that is a rare and unique opportunity and a great experience for a young worker. Those who find they love the work can also build a truly fulfilling career. Many prestigious colleges and universities now offer degree programs in landscape architecture, design and contracting; horticulture; and all other aspects of the landscaping industry. Career potential in this field is truly unlimited.”