Tag: grounds management

OSHA Launches Regional Tree and Landscaping Safety Enforcement Program

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 2 office has launched a regional emphasis program (REP) to reduce worker fatalities and injuries in the tree and landscape services industries in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the agency announced January 11. The new REP includes two elements: “We want to make […]

Faces of Facilities: Joe Arias from ONE Grounds Management

When people think of facilities management, they often picture a person working inside a building, fixing some piece of equipment with a wrench. However, facilities management is so much more than that. In fact, FM doesn’t even have to be inside at all. Landscaping, snow removal, and other forms of grounds management play a pivotal […]

A Primer on Landscaping Hazards and Safety

Landscaping plays a major role in ensuring facilities look inviting and well maintained from the outside. However, landscapers are exposed to all kinds of different hazards on a daily basis, ranging from heat and weather hazards, chemical exposures, accidents with machinery or tools, construction dangers, and the physical stress of lifting and other awkward postures. […]

Shredded tire, tire crumbs

Do You Use Tire Crumb Rubber at Your Facility? You Should Read This Study

Recycled tire crumb rubber has a variety of potential uses in facility design, from flooring to mulching to playgrounds or playing fields. The EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have released the first report in their investigation into recycled tire crumbs, […]

Facility with Trees

If a Tree Falls on Your Facility, It Will Make a Sound: Keeping an Eye on Tree Health

To a facility manager, a picture can be worth a thousand words, and the trees on their facility grounds are an important part of that image. Their value also extends well beyond the ornamental; healthy trees help curb cooling costs, manage stormwater, clean the air by intercepting pollutants, and provide some shade where your or […]

Bees

Facilities Groundskeeping Safety Week, Part 4: Deadly Insects

Would you consider bees to be an occupational hazard? In 2007, three workers were stung by bees while harvesting almonds in Texas; one of them was stung more than 60 times and had to be taken to the hospital. In 2008, a worker in California was stung while driving a tractor and died of an […]

Pesticide safety

Facilities Groundskeeping Safety Week, Part 3: Pesticide Hazards

How do you get rid of crabgrass on your facility grounds? Or insects? Or clover, thistle, dandelion, or any of the other weeds that mar your attractive landscaping? Hand weeding may be a good option for a well-mulched flowerbed, but pesticides may be the most effective solution for large grounds and lawns. If your workers […]

Leaf blower

Facilities Groundskeeping Safety Week, Part 2: Leaf Blower Hazards

Leaf blowers aren’t just for autumn—you’ll see them in use throughout the year. They can be used to blow the grass off your mower, to blow cut grass off sidewalks and paths … they have essentially replaced brooms and rakes for many tasks. They may be time-savers, but leaf blowers also pose hazards.

Snow plow in a facility's cleared parking lot

Tips for Outdoor Winter Work at Your Facility

Winter is here, and many parts of the country are seeing snow. With the seasonal changes come the hazards of outdoor work in cold conditions, snow and ice removal, and other dangers. At its Winter Weather resource site, OSHA lists 10 common winter weather hazards that employers should train employees to recognize.