David J. Frank Landscape Contracting is on a roll with crew safety

DJFLC employees undergo continuous safety trainings. (Photo: David J. Frank Landscape Contracting)

David J. Frank Landscape Contracting (DJFLC) in Germantown, Wis., has managed to achieve 2,200-plus days without a major safety incident. Donna Landon, chief human resources officer at DJFLC, provides a glimpse of its safety numbers and how the company succeeds.

“Having everyone on board with knowing the importance of safety and the well-being of our employees, it’s an ongoing discussion,” Landon says. “It’s ingrained in our safety culture so that we’re always talking about it. If we noticed trends, we talk about them right away in real time instead of at the next safety meeting.”

• 2,203 days with no lost time due to safety incidents (as of Aug. 4, 2021). Landon notes that if employees don’t know how important safety is, they won’t understand how they play a part in the safety success of the company.
• 3,000-plus pieces of equipment, approximately 450 of which could be considered heavier pieces
  of equipment, such as mowers and snow equipment.
• 300 employees, all of whom undergo safety training during onboarding and continuous safety training sessions throughout the year. The company hosts an annual kickoff at the beginning of the season and then puts on safety talks and training during the season, which include mock Department of Transportation and Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections.
• 20 safety committee members, mostly supervisors and managers who meet once a month, discuss close calls from the previous month and uncover root causes so the company can prevent them from happening again.
• 1 safety award-winning company. DJFLC ranked at No. 99 on the 2021 LM150 list with $24.7 million in 2020 revenue and achieved a 2020 Silver Overall Safety Achievement Award from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Editor’s Note: Landscape Management initially reported on the safety success of David J. Frank Landscape Contracting in the November 2020 issue after the company had achieved 1,894 days without a safety incident.