New Year's Resolution: Stay Safe
29 Dec, 2006 By: Landscape Management Staff LDB SolutionsPLANET and TCIA renew commitments to safety
The Tree Care Industry Association renewed its Alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to further safety and health for employees in the tree care industry. The Alliance, signed at TCI EXPO in Baltimore, will focus on providing TCIA members and others in the industry with information, guidance and access to training resources with a particular focus on preventing exposure to tree removal, electrical, falls, and struck-by hazards.
 Left to right: Assistant Secretary Ed Foulke, OSHA, TCIA President Cynthia Mills, and Robert Lawson, Commissioner of Maryland Department of Labor, at TCI EXPO 2006 in Baltimore. |
“Employees in the tree care industry are often exposed to very dangerous hazards,” said OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke. “By working with industry leaders, we believe we can make positive strides in ensuring that employees in this important industry are armed with the tools they need to stay safe and healthy at work.”
Through the Alliance, OSHA and TCIA will work together to develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards and communicate that information throughout the industry. Information will be shared among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding TCIA’s best practices or effective approaches, and then publicized through OSHA- or TCIA-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars and lectures.
In related news, the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) has introduced a new safety CD and has announced new STARS members.
PLANET’s Safety Tools for Greater Profitability CD, sponsored by CNA, provides green industry employers with practical tools to reduce the costs associated with injuries, accidents, and “near miss” accidents.
| The most recent participants in the STARS Safe Company Program are: • Arboristry Associates, Inc., Faber, VA • Blade Runners, Inc., Fairfax, VA • CMSM Soderborg Tree-n-Landscape, Inc., Chicago Heights, IL • De Luca's Landscaping and Irrigation, Ocean Springs, MS • F.T. Farfan & Sons, Ltd., San Juan, Trinidad, West Indies • The Greenery of Charleston, LLC, Charleston, SC • Greg Thompson Enterprises, LLC, Spencerport, NY • Groundtek of Central Florida, Ocoee, FL • Hancock Sod, Lithonia, GA • MowCow Lawn & Landscape, Inc., Fairfax Station, VA • Nevada Lawn & Landscape, Reno, NV • The Plant People Landscaping, Inc., Fort Worth, TX • Second Nature Lawn Care, Thompsons Station, TN • Southern Landscape Group, Inc., Evington, VA For more information about the STARS program, which is sponsored by CNA and Husqvarna, please visit www.landcarenetwork.org, contact Ilene Manster, or call PLANET at 800/395-2522. |
The Safety Tools CD offers step-by-step guidance, checklists, and forms to assist companies in implementing a proactive safety program and increasing their profitability. Among the tools included in the CD are:
- Performing safety audits to identify hazards
- Setting annual company-wide baseline safety goals
- Targeting specific departments or locations for reductions in injuries and other accidents
- Involving employees in the use of Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) to reduce hazards
- Minimizing the cost of workers’ compensation, automobile, and general liability claims
The Safety Tools for Greater Profitability CD has been developed in conjunction with the Safety Program for Green Industry Companies CD, a ready-to-use safety program for green industry companies of all sizes. The Safety Tools CD enhances the resources already available on the Safety Program for Green Industry Companies CD, which is available free for all PLANET members who are also STARS Safe Company Program members. STARS is a free safety program developed by PLANET to assist green industry companies in their efforts to lower their total costs of risk by reducing hazards and injuries.
This month, PLANET is announced the addition of 14 lawn care and landscape companies to the roster of participants in the STARS Safe Company Program. The program asks participants to sign the STARS Safe Company Pledge that commits them to join in the mission of moving the entire green industry toward safety excellence through active involvement, sharing experiences, and becoming a mentor for “living safety.” STARS members also commit to developing a strong safety program by using the Safety Program for Green Industry Companies on CD as a guideline, taking an active role in promoting safety throughout their companies, and investigating and documenting every job-related injury, incident, or accident. Members also are asked to participate in PLANET’s Safety Recognition Awards Program, comply with all Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) postings and other regulatory requirements, share best practices with fellow STARS members, and encourage other companies to become STARS members.
PLANET members may purchase the new Safety Tools for Greater Profitability CD from the PLANET bookstore at $55 per CD. The CD is available for nonmembers for $100. To purchase a CD, call 800/293-5542 or visit PLANET online at www.landcarenetwork.org.
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