Safety is always a priority, and it’s always a work in progress — especially in the tree care business. Tree worker safety is critical due to the nature of the work and the numerous hazards that they face on the job.
Data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control paint a picture of the unfortunate reality with tree care: while it’s an essential line of work that touches so many people, places, projects, and businesses, it’s also one of the most dangerous professions.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) examined data more closely for tree care workers and found that workplace injury and illness have had a higher-than-average prevalence in tree care for more than 30 years.
Of the recorded incidents, NIH found that “An estimated 58.0% of employers lacked a safety plan, and only 39.1% provided job training to employees.”
For brokers, that means tree care safety practice can’t simply be a topic of conversation with clients — it needs to be one of the first conversations.
The importance of safety in high-risk, high-demand work
Tree care workers and arborists are no different than other categories of professional contractors: they’re hired to do a job, and that job has a budget and a deadline.
And while it’s inevitable (and oftentimes expected) that there will be delays on a project, under no circumstances should worker safety take a back seat.
We’ve seen clients across the country, from small local businesses to major employers, get hit hard — and in some cases, lose contracts altogether — because an injury or illness set them back. And in many of those cases, the injury or illness was preventable.
Tree care risk management isn’t about breezing through a slideshow during onboarding. It’s about taking safety seriously and, armed with the correct information and resources, brokers can put clients in a better position to succeed and stay safe.
Safety best practices to share with clients in the tree care industry
It’s not enough to share safety information with current and prospective clients.
Creating a safety-first environment begins with focused education and constant communication, and truth be told, explaining safety to tree care clients isn’t something that every broker does. By taking a hands-on approach to safety with your tree care clients, you can help clients make significant strides in tree worker injury prevention.
There are three main objectives when helping clients improve their safety culture: reducing claims, improving risk management, and most importantly, protecting the workers.
Let’s take a look at the best safety practices for tree service workers, which can help educate your clients and their employees before they head out to a job site.
Regular training and education
Safety starts on Day 1.
It may sound cliché, but it’s true. Your clients have hired capable workers who can do the job adequately, and educating them on proper safety protocols should be a priority. Ask clients if they have safety training programs available, and if not, TreePro and NIP Group can help source them.
Thorough and detailed risk assessment
Before work begins, clients should have a team on-site to conduct safety and risk assessments. This includes (but is not limited to) electric and utility line hazards, homes or property that may be at risk of damage in the event of an accident, and identifying the potential for extreme weather conditions.
If you see something, say something
Every worker should feel empowered to speak up, because doing so can help save lives.
Insurance risk mitigation for arborists and tree care workers cannot be limited to a manual; it must be put into practice, and this type of culture can go a long way toward building a safer environment.
In-depth incident reviews
Accidents will happen — that’s just the nature of the business. But when they do, your clients should treat them as a valuable information-gathering tool. Encourage them to interview all workers involved, get as much detail as possible, and work together to ensure such incidents can be prevented in the future.
Partnering with TreePro gives tree care clients confidence and peace of mind
TreePro by NIP Group is the nation’s leading program designed specifically for tree service professionals. Backed by more than 35 years of industry experience, TreePro insurance programs are customized to each client’s individual needs, covering everything from the number of employees, state-specific regulations, and valuation of assets.
With TreePro, you can help clients with faster quote turnaround times (as quick as 48 hours), flexible billing and in-house financial options, and more with our one-market, all-lines insurance solution.
It’s better tree care insurance by design. To learn more about TreePro and its insurance products, please reach out to our team.
