Workers in the landscaping and horticultural industries across four western states and three Pacific territories are now required to comply with a labor program designed to enhance workplace safety.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has initiated the Regional Emphasis Program, aimed at promoting safety among workers in these industries across the specified regions.
According to a DOL release, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,072 work-related deaths in the landscaping and groundskeeping industry from 2011 to 2021. In 2021 alone, 234 workers died while on duty, surpassing the national average. This alarming statistic led OSHA to devise a strategy to reduce fatalities and injuries.
"By instituting a new regional emphasis program for landscaping industry employers in areas of federal jurisdiction, tribal lands, military bases and particular waterfront areas, OSHA aims to reduce the high fatality and injury rates we've seen in this industry while enhancing workplace safety," said OSHA Regional Administrator James Wulff in San Francisco. "By intensifying our focus on the landscaping industry, we can show employers how they can protect their workers better and avoid needless tragedies."
The DOL release highlighted that workers in the landscape industry face threats such as falls, electrocution, excessive noise, risk of amputations, heat illness and ergonomic injuries. These injuries are typically associated with motor vehicle and machinery operations, along with exposure to pesticides and other chemical hazards.
The program calls for OSHA to conduct safety and health inspections of landscaping and horticultural industry employers in American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands and Nevada. Furthermore, tree care services including tree planting, pruning, bracing, spraying removal and surgery; commercial lawn maintenance; landscape maintenance; utility line tree-trimming services will also be under scrutiny according to the DOL news release.
