FIELD SAFETY REVIEW

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

A vigilant business owner from California called me the other day to share the results of the recent safety review he requested from his workers compensation insurance provider. Readers of this weekly posting, are well aware of my insistence that every green industry company should require an annual field-based mock OSHA safety audit from its workers compensation vendor in October. That field-oriented focus highlights the likelihood of an actual work-related injury, pre-emptive steps to minimize that risk, and possible budget impact for the next calendar year.

The business owner took the proactive steps to have his Tree Services Department audited by a qualified industry-certified safety professional. While some items below are tree-specific, there are others applicable to standard maintenance and construction job sites as well; as such, I felt they were worthy of your review.

Safety Programs

The following safety programs were reviewed for legally required content, application, and compliance:

Injury & Illness Prevention Program
Fall Protection Plan
Heat Illness Prevention Plan
Hazard Communication Program
Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
Fleet Safety Program
Chippers and Aerial Devices
Personal Protective Equipment
Hand Tools, Power Tools, and Ladders

Observations/Comments

During the job site visits, the following safe work practices were observed:

Pre-work hazard assessments are conducted during estimation and proposal phase of projects.
Pre-work job briefing held with the tree care crews and conducted by the Tree Care Manager.
Designated tree trimming crews travel together to maintain continuity of operations and procedures.
Tree care staff are Qualified Tree Workers through training and experience.
Standard PPE includes safety glasses, work gloves, long pants, work boots, and high visibility clothing.
Tree trimming PPE includes helmets, tree climbing saddles, climbing lines, and positioning lanyards.
Chaps are required when using chain saws, short-handled edgers, and other equipment as appropriate.
Tree employees receive extensive internal “certification” safety training on all equipment and tools.
Weekly safety meetings are held at the service yard and cover a wide variety of safety topics.
A 3rd part safety consultant is leveraged to develop robust safety programs and training materials.
Uniforms identify and distinguish between Crew Leaders and Supervisors.
Employees receive authorized-user level training for woodchippers and aerial devices.
Vehicle inspections are conducted weekly by drivers.
Traffic control is deployed as appropriate.
Trucks are equipped with drinking water, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers.
Maintenance on equipment, including chippers, is performed by a mechanic at the service yard.

Due extensively to the business owner’s irrepressible commitment to accountability, detail, and safety, the audit yielded an overall evaluation of “outstanding” with “no recommended action items for improvement.”

I know you don’t believe me. That exemplary evaluation does not happen by chance.

So, when are you going to schedule your workers compensation vendor to audit your field job sites?

I’ll believe you when you send the complete results of your vendor-based field audit to me.

If you have any questions or comments about this topic or anything else related to human resources, Sign Up for Steve’s HR Helpdesk!