By Sally Harvey CLT, CLP
Education and Labour Development Department

It’s a no-brainer that hiring and retaining the right employees is critical to the success of any business. Why then is it we still seem to lose the keepers? Those are the employees who breathe and live your company vision, while working towards making it a reality.

We tend to overlook the benefits that seasoned and skilled employees provide our businesses. We know that they increase effectiveness and efficiencies and therefore add to the bottom line. So why do many of us forget about retention strategies?

In fact, we often tend to put more time and effort into equipment purchases, or interviewing potential employees, than we do in maintaining and energizing our existing people investment. Business owners and managers must increase efforts in this regard, particularly in these economic times. Staff members, if treated properly and professionally by their employer, will remain and provide consistent increased productivity. This in turn makes for a sweeter bottom line for years to come. Landscaping does provide an amazing career opportunity. Let’s make sure we communicate that to our staff and potential staff by providing the right healthy environment.

I recommend that you do not ignore existing staff. Training plays a large part in employee retention. Consult your present staff to identify their training plans to help them continue to develop. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. One of the most important training programs to embark upon is safety training, which is required by law. Since we introduced the safety program to our company many years ago, we have had several employees tell us that they continue to work for us because we care about their safety. Although this was not the original reason that we embarked upon creating a safety culture in our company, it soon became a huge unexpected retention strategy.

At Congress this year, I had the opportunity to visit the Landscape Safety.com booth. I was impressed. Here is a technical savvy and convenient online training tool developed by industry members to help any landscape company train staff to a consistent standard. It definitely augments established training programs and provides a management tool at the same time. When an employee completes a section, the manager receives notice of the status.

As you embark on maintaining a safe workplace in 2009, you may want to consider this new tool offered by Landscape Safety.com.  I urge the industry to take advantage of all the tools available to us today and take action. The season is upon us; it is never too late. If you want more information please contact Landscape Ontario for direction.

With Bill C-45, penalties include hefty fines and/or prison terms. In Ontario alone, over 100,000 people work in the green or related industries, and that number continues to grow. The Ontario Ministry of Labour has added 200 safety officials to conduct random inspections, looking for proof of training and other due diligence factors. In light of many recent young worker deaths, any industry that employs young people will be targeted. The Occupational Safety legislation in Ontario is clear, and holds employers and supervisors accountable for every accident. Therefore, it is up to employers and supervisors to take every reasonable precaution by training employees of all ages to prevent injuries and accidents. We do not want to consider the alternative.
 

MTO regulations

The MTO has made a couple of minor changes to the ‘In Excess Hours’ regulation. Further, there are changes coming in regards to load securing as well.

All commercial vehicle drivers operating in Ontario are subject to the new hours of service regulations. Over the past several years, the Canadian provinces and territories have been working through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) to modernize the commercial vehicle drivers’ hours of service rules by reflecting the advances in scientific research into human sleep patterns and fatigue management practices. The new rules were developed and supported by all Canadian jurisdictions and a broad spectrum of stakeholders. These rules reflect advances into research on fatigue and establish the maximum hours a driver may operate a commercial truck or bus on a highway. The hours of service rules will help commercial drivers receive the necessary rest required to safely operate their vehicles, while keeping Ontario’s roads safe.
 

Driving time

5(1.) After a driver has accumulated 13 hours of driving time in a day, the driver shall not drive again on the same day
5(2.) After a driver has accumulated 14 hours of on-duty time in a day, the driver shall not drive again on the same day.
6(1.) A driver shall take at least 10 hrs off-duty time in a day.

Note: All these refer back to driving a commercial motor vehicle as defined in the Highway Traffic Act Section 16.1. If a vehicle does not meet this definition it’s exempt from the above. Reg 555 does get very complicated though, and there is much more to calculating hours over a period of days and weeks.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is providing an educational enforcement period to assist drivers and carriers to adjust to the new rules. New provincial rules can be found at http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/trucks/regulations/hours.shtml

As our busy season begins, please maintain safety as a priority in all that we do. By actively managing risk in our work environment, we will simultaneously promote employee retention. I wish each and every member in our industry, a safe and prosperous 2009 season.
 

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Sally Harvey may be reached by email at sharvey@landscapeontario.com