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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Landscape and Groundskeeping Safety – Managing the Industry’s Most Common Hazards” written by Michael E. Clem, Environmental, Health & Safety Consultant.

Landscape and groundskeeping professionals face a unique combination of hazards every day. From operating powerful cutting equipment and handling chemicals to working outdoors in extreme temperatures, the job requires a constant focus on safety. While these risks are often viewed as part of the job, injuries and illnesses are not inevitable. Through proper training, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and effective workplace controls, employers and employees can significantly reduce the likelihood of serious incidents.

The need for strong safety programs is supported by industry statistics. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), grounds maintenance workers experience approximately 189 injuries per 10,000 full-time employees, which is more than twice the injury rate for all occupations combined. NIOSH also reports that the fatal injury rate for grounds maintenance workers is about five times higher than the average rate across all industries. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor documented more than 1,000 work-related fatalities in the landscaping and groundskeeping industry between 2011 and 2021. These numbers reinforce the importance of addressing the hazards that workers encounter most frequently.

Chemical Exposure: Knowledge is the First Line of Defense

Chemical exposure is an everyday concern in landscape and groundskeeping operations. Employees regularly work with fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fuels, cleaners, and other products that can cause health problems if not handled correctly. Exposure can occur through skin contact, inhalation, accidental ingestion, or contact with the eyes. Depending on the chemical involved, workers may experience anything from minor irritation to serious respiratory issues or long-term health effects.

Training plays a critical role in preventing chemical-related injuries and illnesses. Employees should receive Hazard Communication training and understand how to access and interpret Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

The SDS provides valuable information about a product’s hazards, safe handling procedures, required PPE, storage requirements, and emergency response measures. Workers should never use a chemical product without first understanding the precautions outlined in both the SDS and the manufacturer’s label.

Proper PPE is equally important. Chemical-resistant gloves, safety glasses or splash goggles, long sleeves, and protective clothing can significantly reduce exposure risks. When mixing concentrated chemicals or applying products that may generate airborne contaminants, additional protection such as face shields or respirators may be required. By combining training, SDS knowledge, and proper protective equipment, employees can safely perform chemical applications while minimizing health risks.

Lacerations and Amputations: Preventing Life-Altering Injuries

Many of the tools used in landscape work are designed to cut, trim, chop, or shred vegetation. While highly effective, equipment such as mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, brush cutters, and wood chippers can cause severe lacerations and amputations within seconds. OSHA identifies moving machinery and cutting components as some of the most significant hazards faced by landscaping workers.

Most serious injuries occur when workers attempt to clear debris, perform maintenance, or bypass machine guards while equipment is still energized. Preventing these incidents begins with comprehensive equipment training. Employees should be instructed on proper operating procedures, machine guarding requirements, pre-use inspections, and the importance of shutting equipment down before servicing or clearing jams. Supervisors should also ensure that workers understand the hazards associated with rotating blades and moving parts and follow manufacturer recommendations at all times.

Appropriate PPE provides an additional layer of protection. Safety glasses, face shields, sturdy work boots, gloves, and long pants help protect workers from both direct contact hazards and flying debris. However, PPE is not a substitute for safe work practices. The most effective prevention strategy is ensuring that machine guards remain in place, equipment is maintained properly, and workers resist the temptation to take shortcuts that could result in permanent injury.

Heat-Related Illness: A Growing Seasonal Threat

For landscape and groundskeeping workers, summer temperatures can create dangerous conditions. Employees often spend long hours performing physically demanding tasks in direct sunlight, making them particularly vulnerable to heat stress and heat-related illness. NIOSH has identified grounds maintenance workers as a high-risk occupational group due to the combination of heavy physical activity and prolonged exposure to outdoor heat.

Heat-related illnesses may begin with muscle cramps, fatigue, or excessive sweating, but can quickly progress to heat exhaustion and, in severe cases, heat stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency that can result in permanent injury or death if not treated immediately. Because symptoms may develop rapidly, workers and supervisors must be trained to recognize warning signs and know how to respond.

Training should emphasize hydration, acclimatization for new or returning employees, and early symptom recognition. Workers should be encouraged to monitor one another and report signs of heat illness immediately. In addition to administrative controls such as water and rest breaks, employers can implement engineering and mechanical controls that help reduce heat exposure. Portable fans, shaded rest areas, misting stations, cooling trailers, and air-conditioned vehicles can provide valuable relief during hot weather. Cooling towels, cooling neck wraps, and cooling vests are also effective tools for helping workers regulate body temperature and maintain productivity throughout the day.

When combined with lightweight, breathable clothing and adequate hydration, these controls create a comprehensive approach to heat-stress prevention and can significantly lower the likelihood of a heat-related emergency.

Noise Exposure: Protecting Hearing for the Long Term

Unlike many workplace injuries, hearing loss develops gradually and often goes unnoticed until the damage is permanent. Landscape equipment such as leaf blowers, chainsaws, chippers, string trimmers, and riding mowers can generate noise levels capable of damaging hearing after prolonged exposure. According to CDC and NIOSH data, approximately 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to potentially harmful occupational noise each year, and roughly one in five noise-exposed workers experiences material hearing impairment.

Protecting workers from excessive noise begins with education. Employees should understand the effects of noise exposure, recognize symptoms such as ringing in the ears or muffled hearing, and know how to properly wear and maintain hearing protection devices. Hearing conservation training should emphasize that hearing loss caused by workplace noise is irreversible but entirely preventable.

Employers can further reduce exposure through engineering controls, including purchasing quieter equipment and maintaining engines and mufflers to minimize unnecessary noise. Administrative controls, such as rotating employees between high-noise and lower-noise tasks, can also help limit exposure. When noise cannot be reduced to safe levels, hearing protection such as earplugs, earmuffs, or a combination of both becomes essential. Consistent use of hearing protection allows employees to preserve their hearing throughout their careers and well into retirement.

Building a Safer Landscape Workforce

Landscape and groundskeeping work will always present challenges, but a proactive approach to safety can dramatically reduce injuries and illnesses. Chemical exposure, lacerations and amputations, heat-related illness, and noise exposure remain among the industry’s most significant hazards, yet each can be effectively controlled through training, hazard awareness, PPE, and engineering solutions.

When employees understand the risks, know how to access critical information such as SDSs, wear the proper protective equipment, and utilize workplace controls such as machine guards, cooling devices, and hearing protection, they are better equipped to perform their jobs safely. Safety is not simply a requirement of the job. It is a commitment to ensuring that every employee returns home healthy at the end of each workday.

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