LET’S CLEAN THINGS UP

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

An irritated business owner from Michigan called me the other day to talk about his recent observations that the field vehicles are not being kept clean and organized. He acknowledged the vehicles are work trucks; trucks that constantly have dirt, mud, grass, debris and the like, readily evident in the truck cab. His annoyance was not with work-related remnants or wear and tear on the truck cab, but rather on the empty soda cans, fast food wrappers, and random pieces of paper, plastic, and “stuff” that have seemingly accumulated from one week to another, now approximating a delinquent high school science project.

Contrary to his fastidious nature, this unkempt condition, evident in many vehicles, raised the owner’s state of mind to an emotional level. As such, he sought clear direction from me on how to approach this concern.

My overarching response included all field vehicles, truck beds/trailers, tools, and equipment, across two dimensions: safety and professionalism. First, we all know that any aspect of field operations can impact employee safety (e.g., PPE, inadequate machinery, improper procedures). Within that context, various items in the vehicle cab are potentially hazardous; an empty soda bottle can easily roll between the floor board and brake or gas pedal, a piece of paper can quickly become an aerial assault device when stirred up by the wind coming through the open windows causing hasty employee movement or a threatening distraction to the driver, and wayward ashes or smoke from an employee cigarette (yeah, I know you have an anti-smoking policy) can also lead to a sudden and unsafe reaction.

I told the business owner the industry-wide best practice is to have the cab of every truck cleaned and reorganized every Friday, as inspected by the Field Supervisor or Department Manager. The Driver is ultimately responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of his/her vehicle. Any variance from that weekly standard, including items stuffed under the front or back seats, normally results in the Driver receiving a formal written reprimand documenting a violation of the company’s safety policy. With any repetitive violations, every member of the crew for that vehicle would then also typically receive a written reprimand.

In much the same fashion, the truck bed and trailer must also meet cleanliness and organization expectations. All tools, equipment, and materials must be placed (secured and locked?) in their properly assigned positions prior to every transport. Failure to do so can result in damage to various resources that may shift during movement, as well as chemical spillage, resources being dislodged out of the truck bed/trailer, and items that may lead to an employee injury when being unloaded.

Here again, the Driver is primarily responsible for the safe transportation of all cargo found in the truck bed and/or trailer. Accountability for vehicle safety is meted out on a weekly basis by the Field Supervisor or Department Manager, with all substandard performance receiving a written reprimand.

An additional best practice in this regard is to assign an Asset Number to every tool, piece of equipment, or work-related resource. Typically, these Asset Numbers are attached using a P-touch label maker, with all items classified by truck number. In most cases, a full truck inventory is conducted on the last Friday of each month to ensure all resources are still resident in their proper vehicle and that each resource is reviewed qualitatively to ensure its safe condition to be used on a job site on the following Monday.

I know it would never happen in your company, but I know a company that sometimes experiences breakage, lost, or heaven forbid, theft of tools, equipment, or resources (maybe to be used for side jobs?). Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it would never happen at your organization, especially since the cost of replacing lost, damage, or stolen tools, equipment, and resources is getting less expensive each day.

Finally, regarding professionalism, it’s an industry-wide best practice to have each company truck inspected for dents, damage, or cosmetic appeal and washed on a bi-weekly basis, in that every vehicle represents itself as a moving billboard conveying the company’s professional character to all on-lookers, every day.

Don’t most landscapers evaluate their jobs for safety, cleanliness, and professional quality on a daily basis?

If so, that then raises the reflective question: How often does your company apply those same safety and professionalism standards to your vehicles, beds/trailers, tools, and equipment?

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