PLANET, OSHA agree to ally for 5 years

David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Glenn Jacobsen, LIC, president of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), were among a group that met in Washington, D.C., to sign a new five-year agreement to continue the OSHA/PLANET Alliance, which provides workplace safety education to members of the landscape industry.

“PLANET is committed to making the landscape industry safer, and the alliance with OSHA is an important part of the education process,” Jacobsen said.

The purpose of the PLANET/OSHA Alliance, first formed in October 2008, is to increase workplace safety especially focusing on hard-to-reach audiences, including youth, individuals with low literacy levels, and non-English speaking workers, with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help protect their health and safety.

“Education, training, and prevention are key elements to a safe work environment,” said Craig Clark, chair of the PLANET safety and risk management committee. “The committee is pleased to again have the opportunity to work with the OSHA Alliance to provide these elements that protect the health and safety of workers in the landscape industry.”

Alliance activities have included the development of dozens of safety education materials in English and Spanish, speaking engagements by OSHA representatives at the Green Industry Conference and Student Career Days, and the promotion of the North American Occupational Safety Health Week each year, as well as other safety initiatives.