What danger lurks between the blades of grass?

April 3, 2012 Adam Gorley Health and Safety, Human Resources

Here’s an interesting and frightening bit of information: each year in the United States, 190 landscapers die on the job. The rate of fatalities among lawn care workers is more than four times the rate for other workers.

I know that landscaping and lawn and garden care are hard work from the little I do at home and my friends in the business, but the worst injuries I’ve heard of are muscle strain, sunburns and fatigue—luckily, it seems. BOLT Insurance recently produced an infographic outlining the dangers of the trade and what employers and workers can do to minimize the risks. Scroll down to see “The Riskiest Things Landscapers Do Every Day.”

For information closer to home, industry groups in British Columbia along with WorksafeBC have produced a thorough manual on “Health and Safety for Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance Companies.”

In BC at least it seems that the industry is not quite as deadly. over a recent five-year period, the province saw only three fatalities in landscaping and lawn care. Nonetheless, it remains dangerous work that commonly results in sprains, strains and tears (47 percent of injuries), cuts and lacerations (12 percent), fractures (9 percent) and bruises and contusions (8 percent).

The main causes of injury are:

Overexertion, usually when a worker moves or lifts objects such as equipment, supplies or debris
Falling objects, such as a branch or tool
Slips, trips and falls, resulting in fractures, sprains or strains

Workers suffer injuries mostly to their back, fingers and legs.

No matter where you operate in Canada, this guide should prove invaluable to your health your health and safety efforts.

See also the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety landscaping portal, which offers general and specific information on precautions, tools, protective equipment and safe practices.

Via: Bolt Insurance

Adam Gorley
Human Resources and Compliance Editor

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Adam Gorley

Editor at First Reference Inc.

Adam Gorley is a copywriter, editor and researcher at First Reference. He contributes regularly to First Reference Talks, Inside Internal Controls and other First Reference publications. He writes about general HR issues, accessibility, privacy, technology in the workplace, accommodation, violence and harassment, internal controls and more. Read more