Who regulates safety in your workplace?

Whether you’re a technician in the field, a customer service professional in the main office, or an outside sales rep on the road, there are rules and regulations covering every aspect of your job. But who created these rules, and whose responsibility is it to enforce them?  

The best known regulator of safety in the lawn care and pest control industries is the EPA. In fact, most well-trained techs might know the saying “the label is the law”. The EPA has a direct impact on the use of pesticides and herbicides, and most likely, as a business owner in this industry, you’ve had some sort of interaction with them. 

You probably already have a detailed chemical label training built out for every employee, because if your techs aren’t properly using their chemicals, it falls back on you. But have you trained your employees on the safety regulations set by OSHA? 

OSHA’s main goal is to regulate safety across all industries, and they’ve been known to inspect company operations in both the pest and lawn industries. Let’s take a look at some of the topics you should be including in your safety training exams:

What should you train your employees on? 

One of the most important contributors to compliance is having written training plans detailing your company’s efforts to meet the safety guidelines set forth by OSHA. For pest control or lawn care safety training, we suggest creating training for the following classes, in addition to more specific chemical training:

• Respiratory Safety
• Ladder Safety
• Electrical Awareness
• Confined Space Entry
• Vehicle Safety
• Cell Phone Safety
• PPE Safety
• Portable Power Tool Safety

There are hundreds of other safety topics, some as specific as sun exposure or driving near schools, and it’s up to you to create the exams. Browse the index of all OSHA Safety & Health Topics here to see what might be missing from your current safety curriculum, and check out their list of Top 10 Safety Violations. But don’t stop there- you can find limitless safety information on the internet, as well as from your insurance carrier, including graphics and videos you can use to make your training more engaging.  

No matter what platform you choose for testing - written exams, safety demonstrations, or a combination of the two - when you create safety training using Forgely, a record of every single person’s training history will be kept in your account should you ever need to use it.  

What else can you do to protect your employees?

Your people are your biggest asset, and it’s up to you to protect them. It’s too risky to assume your employees are inherently savvy enough to avoid these hazards, so creating training plans should be first on your to-do list. To find out what else you can do, check out OSHA’s summary of Employer Responsibilities for providing a safe workplace.

If you currently have safety training in place, but are wondering how to make your training program more effective, contact our Implementation team today. They’ll help you bring your safety training into the 21st century using online exams and visual training materials.

Get in touch today!