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Tuesday, April 25, 2017 05:00 AM

 

Locked shedEarlier this month, a landscape crew in Snellville, GA was fired upon by thieves when crew members tried to stop them from stealing equipment off their truck. Thefts such as this are becoming widespread per Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Georgia Urban Ag Council, and that is why the organization has spent the last year collecting information from victims of landscape theft to share with local law enforcement.

Elsewhere in the industry, the Ohio Landscape Association (as reported by Lawn & Landscape), made security a major topic of their most recent conference. Following are some facts and proactive steps shared in that session that landscape company leaders should consider as crime becomes more prevalent within the industry.

Did you know?

  • The landscape industry is highly attractive to criminals, both internal and external. Being labor intensive and having large equipment ups the risks.
  • Two out of five small businesses hit by a major disaster never recover, despite having insurance, because they were not prepared to deal with what happened.
  • Nickel-and-dime thefts add up beyond what most companies have tallied.
  • The number of disgruntled employees who make threats upon termination is increasing. This should be a call-to-action for business owners/managers to take all threats seriously.

Proactive steps

  • Pay attention to security at your place of business. How long will it take for someone casually walking in the front door to be noticed?
  • Be as diligent in following security measures as you are in following OSHA requirements. 
  • Know that when you remove opportunity, you also remove risk.
  • Engage an expert to assess your widespread exposure to security risks and develop procedures to increase safe-keeping of property and protection of employees. This process should include a shared plan of action to deal with a variety of scenarios.
  • Train employees how to respond to a range of potentially threatening situations. Let them know your expectations about what they should do to remain safe and train them how to behave when a threat arises.

No one expects crime to happen to them until it does – and then it’s too late. Mark Yarborough in Georgia, whose employees were fired upon, said this incident was “incredibly frustrating.”  He shared with FOX News that after 20 years in the industry he is now downsizing and looking at other opportunities.

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
Raising the bar with a hired gun
Take time to review your safety plans

Designs by Sundown is the people's choice for use of color

Southern Chapter Day of Service supports landscape education