GIE Today: ALCA Honors Safety "Stars"

Hundreds of hardworking and safety-conscious landscape contractors were rewarded for their diligence Thursday night when the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) hosted its second annual Night of the Roundtables. In addition to an evening of sharing business tips, ALCA used the opportunity to recognize its members for keeping their businesses, equipment fleets and employees safe.

David Snodgrass, chairman of ALCA’s safety and insurance committee, opened the event noting the importance of maintaining a safety focus in business.

“Safety has become a top concern in our industry, especially as the cost of insurance continues to rise,” Snodgrass says. To combat the challenges companies are facing with increased workers’ compensation and liability insurance, ALCA is working hard to encourage lawn and landscape companies throughout the industry to establish safety routines within their businesses. Snodgrass introduced Safety Specialist Barb Mulhern who brings 10 years of industry experience to the association and will focus on safety initiatives.

Additionally, ALCA has continued with the STARS safe company program that debuted last year. Through the program, ALCA annually recognizes member companies with the strongest safety records. Currently, ALCA has 427 STARS member companies and, this year, a record 214 companies entered the safety awards contest sponsored by CNA Insurance. Snodgrass and CNA representative Tony James presented ALCA/CNA Safety Award recipients in seven categories.

A full list of award recipients can be found on the Internet by visiting Lawn & Landscape Online.

“Creating strong safety programs benefits employees by heightening awareness within the company culture, and it benefits the company as a whole by limiting accidents and lowering insurance premiums,” Snodgrass says.

For more information about the ALCA STARS program or how to join, visit the ALCA Web site.

The author is a contributing editor of GIE Today.