1. Alliance Background
   

Date Signed

October 2, 2008

Evaluation Period

October 2, 2010 - October 1, 2011

Overview

The OSHA and PLANET Alliance focuses on providing large and small landscape services industry employers and their employees including youth, low-literacy level, and non-English speaking workers with information and guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to manual material handling and slip, trip and fall hazards and addressing motor vehicle safety issues.

Implementation Team Members

OSHA:

Gary Johnson, JR. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)

PLANET:

Shane Anderson - Director of Membership, PLANET
Cheryl Claborn - Membership Manager, PLANET
Laurie Erdman - The Bruce Company of Wisconsin, Inc.
Jeff Graham - LaPorte & Associates, Inc.
Sabeena Hickman - Chief Executive Officer, PLANET
David Snodgrass - President, PLANET, Dennis Seven Dees Landscaping, Inc.


2. Implementation Team Meetings
   

October 2, 2008 - Kick-off Implementation Team Meeting
February 10, 2009 - Implementation Team Meeting
May 27, 2009 - Implementation Team Meeting


3. Results
   


1. Events and Products
   

Outreach and Communication Goals


• Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and OSHA's and PLANET's Web sites) to employers and employees in the landscaping industry.
PLANET Quick Card

Through the OSHA and PLANET Alliance, PLANET developed a Quick Card describing general safety tips and best practices to help prevent injuries when using ladders to maintain plants that are above shoulder level in plantscaping. The "Interior Plantscaping Ladder Safety" Quick Card is posted on the OSHA and PLANET Alliance Web page and on the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the OSHA Web site.

OSHA and PLANET Alliance Web Page

OSHA created and maintains an OSHA and PLANET Web page that is posted on the OSHA Web site. The page includes the OSHA and PLANET Alliance agreement, this annual report, news releases, information on activities and events of the Alliance and links to resources developed by PLANET through the Alliance Program.

PLANET and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

PLANET created and maintains an OSHA and PLANET Alliance Web page on the PLANET Web site. The page has information on the OSHA and PLANET Alliance and links to the OSHA Web site. In addition, the Web site hosts resources developed by PLANET through the OSHA and PLANET Alliance, including "Interior Plantscaping Ladder Safety," "Gasoline Powered Cut-off Machines," "Personal Protective Equipment for Mixing Chemicals in Lawn Care Quick Card," and "Using Small Equipment Safely in Landscaping," Quick Cards.

OSHA Electronic Tools

As a result of the OSHA and PLANET Alliance, Laurie Erdman and David Snodgrass serve on the editorial board for the Landscape and Horticultural Services Safety and Health Topics page.


• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or PLANET's conferences, local meetings, or other events such as the Green Industry Conference, GIE+EXPO, and Student Career Days.
PLANET Green Industry Conference, October 28-31, 2009, Louisville, Kentucky

Representatives from Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Program staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the Green Industry Conference and Expo, October 28-31, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky.

PLANET 34th Annual Student Career Days, April 8-11, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia

Marilyn Velez, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Atlanta - West Area Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the PLANET 34th Annual Student Career Days on April 9, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steve Simmons and Jonathan Worrell, Compliance Assistance Specialists, Atlanta –East Area Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, observed the Competitive Events Portion of the PLANET 34th Annual Student Career Days on April 10, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia.


• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding PLANET's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by PLANET and through OSHA-or PLANET-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
  
  During the reporting period, no products or activities were completed in support of this goal.
• Promote and encourage PLANET members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the On-site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
The OSHA and PLANET Alliance Implementation Team members encouraged PLANET members to participate in OSHA's cooperative programs at conferences and meetings, such as the such as the PLANET Green Industry Conference, in Louisville, Kentucky.


• Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program such as the North American Occupational Safety and Heath (NAOSH) Week.
2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 2-8, 2010

PLANET and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Program, the Week focused on educating employers, employees and the public about the importance of being drug-free as an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.

2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 3-9, 2009

PLANET and a number of Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week. 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. The theme for 2010 NAOSH Week was "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces."

Department of Labor Safety Day, June 9, 2010, Washington, DC

PLANET representatives staffed an exhibit booth and distributed material related to ergonomics during the Department of Labor Safety Day.


2. Executive Summary
   

During the OSHA and PLANET Alliance's second year, the organizations worked together to provide large and small landscape services industry employers and their employees including youth, low-literacy level, and non-English speaking workers with information and guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to manual material handling and slip, trip and fall hazards and addressing motor vehicle safety issues. As a result of this positive relationship, the organizations pursued a number of projects and activities during he reporting period. For example:


• Through the OSHA and PLANET Alliance, the organizations developed the "Interior Plantscaping Ladder Safety" Quick Card. The Quick Card is posted on the OSHA and PLANET Alliance Web page and on the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the OSHA Web site.
• Marilyn Velez, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Atlanta –West Area Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the PLANET 34th Annual Student Career Days on April 9, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Steve Simmons and Jonathan Worrell, Compliance Assistance Specialists, Atlanta –East Area Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, observed the Competitive Events Portion of the PLANET 34th Annual Student Career Days on April 10, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Representatives from Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Program staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the Green Industry Conference and Expo, October 28-31, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky.
• PLANET representatives are sharing their expertise by serving on the Landscape and Horticultural Services Safety and Health Topics page.
• PLANET supported the 2010 NAOSH Week and exhibited at the 2010 Department of Labor Safety Day, June 9, 2010, in Washington, DC.
3. Alliance Program Reach
   



Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
SHA and PLANET Web Page site on the OSHA Web site	Data Not Available
PLANET and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the PLANET  Web site	Data Not Available
OSHA Landscape and Horticultural Services Safety and Health Topics page	8,345
TOTAL	8,345

4. Upcoming Milestones
   

Over the next year, OSHA and PLANET will continue to work together to provide to provide large and small landscape services industry employers and their employees including youth, low-literacy level, and non-English speaking workers with information and guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to manual material handling and slip, trip and fall hazards and addressing distracted driving issues. The OSHA and PLANET Alliance Implementation Team will develop materials addressing worker identified hazards, such as hearing protection in the landscaping industry. Additional planned activities include:


• Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health representatives will deliver a presentation and staff an exhibit booth at the Green Industry Conference, October 28-30, 2010, in Louisville, Kentucky.
• OSHA representatives from Region V, Calumet City, Illinois, Area Office will participate at the 2011 PLANET Student Career Days, March 18, 2011, in Joliet, Illinois.
• PLANET representatives will continue to provide their expertise to OSHA and will continue serving on the Landscape and Horticultural Services Safety and Health Topics page.
• PLANET will also support the 2009 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2010 NAOSH Week. PLANET will also exhibit at the 2010 Department of Labor Safety Day in June 2010.

Report prepared by: Gary Johnson, Jr., Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, February 14, 2011.