How to Maintain a Safe Commercial Landscape

The landscape of classic cartoons is definitely not safe. 

Somebody’s always either falling into a deep hole, getting run over by a truck, or having an anvil drop on their head.

Who’s in charge of safety over there? Somewhere, a property manager is in big trouble. 

Make sure it’s not you.  When you hire a commercial landscaping company, ask how they’ll keep your property — and the people on it — safe.

At Level Green Landscaping, landscape safety is a top priority. There’s even a guy in charge of it — Brad Butler, manager of corporate safety. 

How to create a safe landscape? Butler shares seven commercial landscaping safety tips to keep in mind. No falling anvils allowed.

Bye, Landscape Hazards: Proactive Patrols

Level Green crews are trained to spot potential dangers.

“We’re not just out there mowing grass, loading up the mowers and driving away,” Butler says.

Supervisors routinely snap photos of problem areas and report them immediately to property managers.

Tree stumps? Rusty, dilapidated fencing? A curb stop that’s been removed to reveal bare rebar? Cracked, uneven concrete? You’ll know about it.

Account Managers conduct  regular comprehensive property audits, always on the lookout for potential safety hazards.

Your landscaping crews should be proactive, an extra set of eyes on your property, making sure it’s safe.

Maintaining a Safe Commercial Landscape On The Job

You want to know that the landscaping crews on your commercial property are operating machinery properly, keeping them and others on your site safe. 

“When you talk about safety, prevention is always key,” Butler says. “You do that by planning and training, and the two go hand in hand.”

Before any Level Green employee is handed a piece of equipment to use, they get training in how to use it safely.

The health of our crew members is crucial, so they’re safe on the job. 

“We want to take care of our men and women out there,” Butler says. “Landscaping is hard work. It’s not easy on the body.”

When someone complains about a sore shoulder or knee, they're pulled off the job to make sure they’re OK, and sent to a physician if necessary to have it checked out.

Landscape Safety: Equipment Training

“We talk to our guys and women out there about using equipment the right way instead of the wrong way,” Butler says. “So they do it the smart way — not the easiest way.”

One example is the line trimmer, a piece of equipment crews use every day. The tool is balanced in weight, with a shoulder strap designed to keep it in proper balance. But if you don't wear the strap, your muscles strain to keep the tool in balance.

Level Green’s comprehensive safety program includes equipment and safety training and weekly meetings for crews that cover timely safety topics. Managers meet, too, to review any safety-related incidents, from a broken window to a physical injury, and come up with a plan to prevent it from happening again.

Butler keeps a detailed spreadsheet that records every safety-related incident.

Landscape Safety: Fix Low Spots In Turf

There you are, strolling across your lovely lawn like an unsuspecting cartoon character, not even noticing that low spot in the turf. 

Thump! You’re on the ground. 

A low spot in your property’s turf can cause pedestrians to trip and fall or twist their ankle. Fill in low areas with soil to level the ground, then seed or sod.

Trim Low-Hanging Branches

Let branches grow too low, and a visitor walking and talking on their phone could walk right into them. Keep these potential landscape hazards trimmed up and out of the way.

Patrol Play Areas For Landscape Hazards

Kids do crazy stuff, like swing upside down from their knees and run as fast as they can without watching where they’re going while holding popsicles. 

Playgrounds need extra attention to keep children safe. Your landscaping crews should be on the lookout for poison ivy, nests of ground bees, tripping hazards at the edges of playscapes. 

Be aware of the proper mulch for play areas, too. 

“Regular bark mulch gets so compacted, a fall onto it is like falling on concrete,” Butler says. Most mulch manufacturers make special kid-safe mulches with softer edges and that resist compacting. Rubber mulch is another alternative, he says.

Keep Parking Lots and Driveways Clear

Overgrown shrubs don’t seem too dangerous. But shopping centers with islands of landscaping sometimes have shrubs so out of control they block drivers’ vision, Butler says, creating real landscaping hazards. Keep them properly trimmed so drivers have a clear view before they proceed.

Use Defined Edging for Landscape Safety

It doesn’t take a wayward banana peel to cause a fall. Be sure the edging between lawn and beds is clear and defined. That helps prevent pedestrians from tripping.

Zap Sidewalk Weeds

As if weeds aren’t bad enough, they’re extra villainous when they grow like crazy in sidewalk cracks and obscure the edges of curbs. Big tripping hazard. Keep them under control for landscape safety.

Landscape Hazard: Protruding Irrigation Heads

Sometimes sprinkler heads get stuck, protruding a couple inches above the ground instead of staying safely tucked below ground level. 

Level Green supervisors regularly walk properties to check for protruding sprinkler heads that could cause people to trip.

Maintain a Safe Commercial Landscape With Level Green

To be honest, it’s hard to know when an anvil will come crashing down from the sky. 

But some things you can control — like the commercial landscaping company you hire to maintain a safe commercial landscape. 

Choose a partner who puts safety first. 

Level Green provides commercial property maintenance for properties throughout Washington DC, Maryland and parts of Virginia. Level Green Landscaping services commercial properties like office buildings, homeowner associations (HOAs), mixed use, condominiums, retail, institutions and government entities.

Contact us today at 202-544-0968 or by filling out our form online.

We’d love to hear from you.