Have you won the lottery lately? No? Well, somebody did. In fact, more than one person wins every year. Unfortunately, most people do not win the lottery. In fact, you’re much more likely to get struck by lightning than to win the lottery.
How does this apply to safety? Well, it’s simple: many people don’t follow safety procedures because they don’t think they will get hurt. They’ve mowed lawns or trimmed bushes a million times without getting hurt, so they think they don’t have to be careful.
What they’re forgetting is one simple fact: more than 230,000 people get hurt every year in the US using lawn and garden tools. Just as someone will eventually win the Powerball, many more people are likely to be injured while doing the tasks that the workers in your green industry business perform every day. Let’s look at how we can help prevent your workers from becoming one of those statistics, and protect your business from the hardship that would follow.
1. Establish and enforce safety rules
Make sure you have a written rulebook of the safety procedures for your green-industry business. Create these rules based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s safety manual. Ensure that all your workers know how people can get hurt doing the tasks they are doing. Then, make sure they know how to prevent those accidents. Also, never allow employees to work if they don’t have their safety equipment, such as sturdy, slip-resistant shoes, safety glasses, ear protection or gloves. Provide check lists for your crew leaders to make sure that safety rules are followed every day by every worker. Inform your workers of the disciplinary action that will follow any failure to meet safety standards. Make sure you follow with the rules every time, so your employees know how important the rules are.
2. Have a safety training program
Regularly train your employees on your safety practices and rules. Hold a safety meeting once per week or month to demonstrate a safety procedure and review what your workers have done well and what could use more work. Show them real-world examples of what can happen if those safety procedures aren’t followed. Our 2015 Green Industry Benchmark Report showed that businesses who don't have recurring formal staff training are less likely to experience revenue growth. Make sure all employees are trained carefully using the 4-step method: trainer explains how to do the task safely, trainer shows how to do the task safely, trainee explains how to do the task safely, trainee shows how to do the task safely while the trainer observes. Don’t forget to reward your employees for following safety procedures.
3. Lower the EMR of your business
Experience modification rate (EMR) is a number calculated by insurance companies to gauge the probability of future injuries at your business. This number determines how much you will pay for worker compensation insurance. It is based on how dangerous an industry you work in and how many work injuries have been reported in your business over a 3 year period. An EMR of 1.0 is considered the industry average. Implementing and following a thorough plan for keeping your employees safe will lower the likelihood of injury and keep your EMR low. This will save you lots of money on your worker compensation insurance. An injury will increase your EMR for 3 years, so don’t wait until someone gets hurt to start worrying about your EMR. Plan today to keep your employees safe.
4. Know and understand OSHA's new reporting requirements
On January 1, 2015 OSHA changed their reporting requirements. The new rules state that employers must report any work-related employee in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of eye within 24 hours of learning of the situation. Also, employers must report to OSHA within 8 hours of learning of any work-related employee death. Make sure to keep up with all required OSHA reporting and recordkeeping for your industry. Check out their webpage to learn more about the new requirements and safety help they provide.
Work-related injuries are very common. You can lower the chances of your employees getting injured by creating a great safety program at your green industry business. Keep your operating costs low by preventing employee injuries and high worker-compensation insurance premiums. If you keep your employees safe, you will be putting money in your pocket that might have gone to insurance premiums or lawsuits. This is how you can win the “safety lottery” every year.
Now that you are training in your green industry business, why not set a SMART goal around training? Find out how by downloading our free eBook!
