Efficiency Tip: Paint it red

February 3, 2016 - By LM Staff

A mistake that cost Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape Co. more than $10,000 nearly 20 years ago is now prevented by two $10 cans of spray paint per year.

“A guy wasn’t paying attention and sprayed 10 yards of turf with Roundup,” says Lee Kral, lawn service manager for the Lakewood, Colo.-based company. “We had to replace significant portions of the lawn.”

Kral needed a way to differentiate the backpack sprayers, so he simply started painting them. The company hasn’t made a similar mistake since.

If a backpack contains Roundup, for example, its rear is covered in bold, red paint. Different colors signify different chemicals. He even paints the wands.

“They look down at a red wand and know exactly what’s on their back,” Kral says. “It’s eliminated any mistakes.”

And a red sprayer stays red. If it breaks, another red one must replace it. Because remnants of a chemical used previously might cause contamination, switching the contents of a sprayer is grounds for termination, Kral says.

“In my experience, keeping it simple for the techs eliminates mistakes, makes training time a little faster and allows you to develop straightforward operating procedures,” he says.