One February 23, 2004, OSHA and PLANET formed an Alliance to provide large and small landscape
industry businesses and their employees, including but not limited to youth workers, low-literacy
level, and non-English, speaking workers, with information and guidance to help them reduce strains
caused by manual material handling; amputations; motor vehicle crashes; as well as slip and trip
injuries. The Alliance was renewed April 6, 2006.
Because OSHA and PLANET decided to refocus the Alliance agreement, the organizations agreed to
conclude the Alliance as of February 23, 2008. Through OSHA's and PLANET's work together to meet the
agreement's goals, a number of successes resulted from the Alliance, including:
- PLANET, and a number of other Alliance Program participants, helped support the 2007 and 2008
North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Weeks. Sponsored annually by the American
Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the
workplace.
- On October 27, 2007 Ron McGill, then Area Director, Nashville, Tennessee and Frankford, Kentucky
Area Offices, USDOL-OSHA gave a presentation "OSHA Resources and the OSHA and PLANET Alliance" to
green industry providers at the Green Industry Conference and EXPO in Lexington, Kentucky. Suzanne
Porter, Industrial Hygienist, Frankfort, Kentucky Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; and Richard Taylor,
Safety Specialist, Frankfort, Kentucky Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; represented the Alliance Program in
PLANET's Safety Central resource area and distributed safety and health information and answered
questions during the 2007 Green Industry Conference and EXPO.
- On April 6, 2006, Assistant Secretary Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., USDOL-OSHA and John Gibson, President,
PLANET spoke at OSHA's Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign Kick-off event in Alexandria, Virginia. More
than 130 safety and health professionals, teachers and students attended the event.
- On November 2-5, 2005, PLANET's Green Industry Conference was held in Orlando, Florida. On
November 5, 2005, Keith Brown, Safety and Health Consultant, University of South Florida (USF),
Safety Florida On-site Consultation Program presented an update on the On-site Consultation
Program's activities in Florida and participated in a panel discussion on the Alliance Program. OSHA
representatives staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth.
- On September 8, 2005, PLANET representatives participated in the Alliance Program's Small Business
Roundtable, in Washington, DC. During the meeting, Alliance Program participants provided a number
of recommendations for OSHA on how to enhance its small business compliance assistance activities
and resources.
- Through the Alliance, PLANET developed a series of Safety Tips Sheets, in English and in Spanish,
for the landscaping and horticultural industries. The following Tips Sheets were posted on PLANETS'
Web site in 2005 and 2006 and linked to from the OSHA and PLANET Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web
site and the OSHA Landscape and Horticultural Services Safety and Health Topics page.
- Safety Tips Sheet No. 1, Slip and Trip Injuries
- Safety Tips Sheet No. 2, Reducing the Risk of Lifting Injuries in the Landscape and Horticultural
Industries
- Safety Tips Sheet No. 3, Driving Defensively to Reduce the Risk of a Motor Vehicle Crash
- Safety Tips Sheet No. 4, Reducing the Risk of an Amputation
- Members of PLANET provided OSHA with their expertise during the agency's development of the
Landscape and Horticulture Services Safety and Health Topics page on OSHA's Web site. The Topics
page provides the public with numerous resources and information relevant to the industry.
Report prepared by: Adam Brumbergs, Research Assistant, Office of Outreach Services
and Alliances, July 2, 2008
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