Enhance employee safety

Ensuring employee safety is a crucial aspect of running a business, as hazards can be found in any workplace. In the garden center industry, there are two main risks: slips and falls, and physical injuries that occur due to lifting heavy items such as soil, pottery and large trees. Having a thorough safety policy in place can greatly reduce injuries.

Armstrong Garden Centers and Pike Nurseries prevents workplace injuries by offering monthly training sessions on specific safety issues, says Gwynn Lehigh, vice president of human resources at the company.

“Topics include heat safety, housekeeping and slip/trip/fall hazards. The training outline is provided to the management team at each location, and they discuss the topic with the team. They often will go through a role play or physical example of the topic,” Lehigh says. “We do occasionally use videos such as for our driver safety; however, most of the training is a hands-on approach in store. We find that this is more relevant and meaningful to the associates.”

The training is offered and mandatory for every employee, whether they are long-term or seasonal at the 32 Armstrong Garden Center stores in California and the 16 Pike Nursery locations in Georgia and North Carolina. Lehigh offers advice for other garden centers looking to revamp their employee safety programs:
 

Get ahead of the project

Before tackling a physically demanding project, such as lifting heavy items, encourage employees to stretch, use pallet jacks when possible or carry items as a team. Rotating job duties also eases the physical burden on employees. Lehigh also encourages the team to rely on vendors who sell large items like pottery for help. When they offer to assist with carrying products, let them.
 

Teach proper lifting techniques

Pike employees are required to watch a safe lifting video, which instructs employees how to use their legs rather than their backs for lifting. “There is a 25-pound minimum lifting restriction, but no one is ever required to lift what they think they can’t lift,” Lehigh says. Every hire must undergo a pre-employment physical examination at a clinic to make sure they are up to the tasks and, if they have any lifting restrictions from a medical standpoint, they are accommodated accordingly, she says.
 

Conduct regular inspections

“Safety inspections are conducted daily, weekly and monthly,” Lehigh says. “Regional managers and corporate staff are in stores frequently and follow up on safety standards and practices.”
 

Be aware of other risks

Ladder use is another safety element that is addressed in employee training sessions. “Use the appropriate ladder for the appropriate task,” Lehigh says. Don’t use a large, tall ladder if it’s not necessary. Also, electric cords need to be properly grounded, particularly if they are outside exposed to the elements.

“We’ve found some success [by appointing] a ‘safety champion’ — a go-to person when it comes to safety and training; a conduit in all of our stores for making sure they’re doing their training and all of the procedures,” Lehigh says.
 

Assess employee understanding

Employees must demonstrate their safety knowledge. Pike and Armstrong also promotes incentives for safety for each of their garden centers. Rewards are given for 60-day periods that are accident-free in the form of store lunches, gift cards, movie tickets and more.

“Each associate is required to demonstrate their training knowledge in some form. This may include a role play at the store, a written or verbal quiz from a member of the HR team or regional manager,” Lehigh says. “For example, each month every regional manager will inspect the monthly safety training topic through a ‘Show You Know.’ The associate will be asked what the monthly safety topic is and three or four related questions. This allows for us both to check for understanding and ensure that we correct any inaccurate information immediately.”

Though all of these procedures have helped Armstrong and Pike manage employee safety at their stores, Lehigh says it all starts with the hiring process.

“Hiring the right person for the right job is what our goal should always be,” she says. “Conducting an interview on the sales floor, walking the garden center and getting a true understanding of the operation helps to ensure that the best candidate is selected.”

Hilary is a freelance writer based out of Pittsburgh, Pa.