Landscape Safety Standards for the Healthcare Environment

When it comes to selecting a healthcare provider, 97% of patients base their choice on safety. Naturally, you work hard to maintain a safe environment within your doors to ensure the best possible patient outcomes. But what about outside your doors? Does your landscape partner value safety as much as you do?

In the landscape industry, the average OSHA Recordable Incident Rate is 4.20. At BrightView, our number is consistently well below; in fact, last year our rate was 2.1. We’re sharing this because we believe that when it comes to safety, there’s no reason to be shy. After all, patients look into your safety ratings before they make their decision on where to receive care. Shouldn’t you at least be able to do the same with a potential landscape partner? 

That’s why we’re pulling back the curtain on the measures we employ to maintain a safe environment at your facility and ensure the wellbeing of your patients, staff, and our teams. Like the Hippocratic Oath’s promise to do no harm, our teammates abide by something similar. “No One Gets Hurt,” is our mantra for safe operations. It represents our promise to not only take care of our teams, but also those we serve. Here’s what that looks like.

Train, Check & Reinforce

Team members undergo extensive vetting and training before they serve you, including E-Verify, initial and ongoing driving record checks and drug and alcohol screenings. New hires undergo our safety orientation and must receive certification for every piece of power equipment they’ll use. We also utilize a buddy system for new hires, pairing them with more tenured team members who help them learn the ropes. 

However, our focus on safety doesn’t end there. Crews participate in weekly safety meetings, which review how to avoid hazards relevant to the current season. Our management teams also participate in a weekly safety call, where they review any opportunities for improvement and strategize how to address them. Finally, we conduct periodic jobsite inspections to ensure safety best practices are always in use at your facility.

But it’s not all work and no play. We believe safety should be celebrated. That’s why we’ve created a reward system for safety compliance, and make recognition of those who have exhibited good safety behaviors a key part of our morning pre-dispatch routine.

Before We Arrive

Our safety preparations begin well before we set foot on your property. Teams begin the day with “Stretch and Flex”—a time for everyone to stretch together to prevent soft tissue injuries, review safety practices, and discuss any potential hazards. Before leaving the yard, we inspect our personal protective equipment (which we require and provide), supplies, and ensure an ample supply of water to keep the team well hydrated. Finally, we inspect our trucks and trailers to ensure they’re roadworthy and compliant with regulatory agencies. These daily inspections help us remedy and identify any deficiencies that could cause harm to our teams or the public. 

On Your Property

We’re easy to spot, but that’s intentional. Our attire is designed to make it easy to identify who is part our crew and enhance visibility for your safety and ours. In addition to our company-issued PPE, our crews are fully uniformed in seasonally appropriate gear, which always includes name badges and safety vests. Our vehicles are logoed and feature our distinctive livery, while cones are used to mark safety zones.

However, what’s not visible is one of the features we’re most proud of: our Stop Work Authority. The Stop Work Authority empowers every team member to take safety into their own hands. Crew members are encouraged to stop a job if they personally feel unsafe, or witness something that could put a teammate or the public in peril. 

Continuous Improvement

Though our OSHA incident rate is well below average, there are always opportunities to improve. Hazards, near misses, and concerns are always submitted to our Branch Safety Leaders for review and correction, if needed. In the event of an injury, a root cause analysis is conducted to ensure future incidences are prevented.

We’re proud of our safety program, but that’s not the only reason we’re sharing these details. We’re providing this information because we believe it should be readily available to you, to aid in your selection process. The patients who entrust you with their care have confidence they’ll be in good hands. We want you to have that same confidence in us.