Why Safety Visits Are an Overlooked Benefit for Greenhouse Growers
August 6, 2022 
Photo: Hortica
Protecting the safety of your employees and everyday operations is part of your responsibilities as a business. A safe workplace runs more efficiently—and helps you avoid work-related incidents and OSHA violations. Lack of planning and non-compliance can put the health and well-being of your team at risk, create costly downtime, and potentially incur citations or fines.
If you own your business, safety is just one of many factors on your mind. Implementing a safety program with practices that can meaningfully improve your operation takes time, planning, and employee buy-in. Luckily, your insurer may have a dedicated safety team that can help you identify potential business hazards and help you manage your greenhouses’ risk by conducting a formal safety visit. The recommendations could be the difference between an identified risk or a large, unexpected cost.
As a safety consultant myself, I’ve seen firsthand how a safer workplace can help reduce business interruptions and protect bottom lines. At the same time, I understand how safety visits can feel like uncharted territory if your greenhouse hasn’t conducted one in recent years. This article will give you a brief overview of what a safety visit is, what it entails, and why it matters.
Why Conduct a Safety Visit?
Different businesses have different priorities for conducting safety inspections. While greenhouses and other horticultural businesses may not seem as dangerous as construction sites or manufacturing operations, they’re still prone to many common risks — most of which can be avoided with the right protocols in place. Consult with your insurance provider if:
- You’ve experienced any work-related incidents or losses
- You want help complying with OSHA guidelines
- You need more assistance developing or enhancing your safety program
If your business insurance plan includes a safety services package, use this benefit to your advantage. Your insurer can help you create a safety program that includes employee training, educational resources, and regular inspections to keep your business running smoothly.
Here’s a couple of examples for you to think about:
- Are you applying pesticides?
- Do your employees operate forklifts, tractors, or loaders?
If so, your whole team — even the experienced employees — can benefit from a safety program that includes specific instructions around training and education. There may even be important regulations you need to meet. As safety consultants, we’re trained to help you stay compliant with those regulations and keep everyone safe.
What to Expect During a Safety Visit
Because your insurer is committed to helping you reduce losses, they are also interested in your business’s overall approach to safety.
Some things I often look for during safety visits include:
- Risks and hazards
- Management attitude toward safety
- Facility conditions (e.g., in greenhouses and buildings)
- Housekeeping and maintenance programs
- Safety processes and programs
- Documented risk management policies
- Safety training, including types and frequency
- Customer safety
- Fleet safety practices
- Written fleet policies
- Hiring practices
- Driver experience, age, and selection
- Driver training and monitoring (including GPS tracking, dash cams, and decal programs)
Once your safety consultant understands what policies and practices you currently have in place, they can help you find more opportunities to plan, implement, and follow-up with employees throughout your organization. Being proactive about these steps and engaging your whole team in safety planning creates a better safety culture, and helps mitigate the risk of incidents or dangerous violations.
What Happens Next?
After your safety consultant conducts their inspection, they will likely follow up by sending a letter with their recommendations to improve safety at your business.
Recommendations might include eliminating the hazards identified in their observations or outlining how to address a particular issue in a specified amount of time. In most cases, you’ll need to respond to the recommendations within a certain timeframe provided in the letter. Remember, the goal of a safety visit is to help you reduce risk now before they become a loss later.Depending on your interests, your consultant may also be able to assist you by conducting employee/supervisor training sessions remotely or on-site. This can be a helpful supplement to your organization’s existing training exercises.
The Takeaway
Maybe it’s been some time since you revisited your safety practices and you want to stay ahead of any new risks. Or perhaps you’ve changed your operations, hired new staff, or even experienced an incident that put the health or safety of your team at risk. No matter why or when safety planning is on your mind, remember that your insurance provider can help guide the decisions you make to better protect your team and your business. It’s an easy way to stay prepared and maximize the benefits of your insurance plan. Talk with your insurer to discuss your safety concerns, and whether safety visits could be beneficial for your business.
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