Healthy Lawn, Healthy Worker

Sore muscles and other health issues from off-duty activities could affect your workers’ performance on the job. So it’s a good idea to give employees tips on how they can keep their lawns healthy without taking a toll on their own health.

Give them this overview of what they need to be concerned about:

• Air Quality Index (AQI)—Check the local paper, TV news, or http://airnow.gov for the daily air quality report. Plan to mow on days when air quality is good or moderate.

• UV Index—Check the ultraviolet radiation (UV) Index at http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html and don’t mow if it’s above 7. Also, avoid mowing between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., regardless of that day’s UV Index, because those are the hours when UV rays are strongest.

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• Temperature—Check temperature and humidity levels, and plan to mow when they are both low. Mowing in the early morning or late evening can help them avoid high temperatures and humidity.

• Allergies—Wear a dust mask if they are allergic to grass, dandelions, or other plant pollens that are stirred up by the mower or may already be present in the late spring air. Also be aware of poisonous plants, such as poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac.

• Lawn-care products—They can be poisonous if overused or handled incorrectly, so always read and follow the directions for use. And certain pesticides have been associated with increased risk of asthma, cancer, birth defects, nervous and immune system disorders, and more. So, try going green with lawn products to keep themselves and the environment healthy.

Sprinkling home or off-the-job safety training sessions into your usual mix of required and recommended workplace training is a good way to keep your training program fresh and varied.

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Why It Matters

• Off-the-job accidents and injuries can cause lost workdays or light-duty work- days.
• Yard work injuries include back strain, sunburn, skin cancer, plant rashes, eye damage, heat exhaustion, and cuts and bruises.
• On-the-job training may cover some of these issues, such as working in hot conditions, but you need to remind workers to follow the same precautions when they work at home, too.