Last year, Elite Landscaping and Spectrum Landscaping had no reported accidents. Owner Kris Ashby says that this feat was accomplished by deliberately placing a high emphasis on safety making it part of Elite’s employee culture.

“We do a lot of work to make that happen,” he says. “Every week, we spend 15-20 minutes in our managers’ meeting discussing safety. They discuss these items with employees as part of a tailgate safety meeting. It goes from the top all the way down.”

Ashby says there are three basic ways that the firm creates a safety-conscious culture. Taking proactive steps is key to ensuring your workers are safe, he says.

First, Elite Landscaping has policies in place to check that equipment is working properly. Elite Repairs is an in-house management company that continuously evaluates equipment, making sure safety features are turned on and working.

Second, the company has regular trainings for employees in Spanish and English. Every manager that has Spanish-speaking employees speaks Spanish as well as English. Printed safety materials and a policy manual are given to every worker. Employees know that they are not to tamper with equipment that isn’t working.

Finally, Elite managers place an emphasis on making sure that employees wear professional, safe attire and that they know that safety is a foremost concern. Employees always wear safety glasses and ear protection when necessary.

Additionally, they are required to wear hard hats during construction jobs.

In the end, the results are not only quite impressive, but also entice clients. “Having a good safety record is something that’s really attractive to bigger projects,” says Ashby.
 
Read more about Elite Grounds below:

Knowing the limits

When to buy