STARS offers practical safety assistance

Herndon, VA – Do you want to bring safety to a higher level at your company? Are you concerned about being in compliance with OSHA regulations? Do you need assistance in documenting and measuring employee injuries/incidents in order to lower your workers’ compensation rates?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the STARS Safe Company Program can help you. (STARS stands for: Safety Training Achieves Remarkable Success.)

Sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (formerly ALCA), this free program, open to all professional landcare companies (including landscape construction, maintenance, and design/build firms, as well as professional lawn care companies), will give you specialized assistance in developing a safety “culture” at your company.

The assistance STARS members receive includes monthly E-mail/fax STARS Updates with practical safety and OSHA compliance-related checklists, sample policies, and sample forms. All STARS members also receive a comprehensive safety manual when they join.

Here is an excerpt from the recent STARS Safe Company Program Effective Safety Program Checklist:

• Top management is committed to safety, and has signed and distributed to all company members a strong Safety Policy Statement.
• All safety-related policies, rules, training materials and hazard warning signs are made available in a language workers understand.
• Employees are required to promptly report all work-related injuries/incidents, illnesses, and “near miss” accidents they become aware of.
• Company posts number of consecutive days without a “lost time” accident so all employees can track progress.
• Company has a written return to work/modified duty program, with job descriptions of potential modified duty work.

For more information on joining STARS and a copy of the STARS pledge form, call Ilene Manster at 800/395-2522.