If you work in Maryland’s landscaping industry, it is important to learn about the most common landscaping hazards and the risks they carry. While you may think getting minor cuts is a regular part of your job, you should still make your health your top priority.
Here are four common types of injuries and illnesses that landscapers face:
Back injuries
Landscapers often spend most of their time doing physically demanding routines. Repetitive motions such as bending, lifting of heavy objects and sitting with a poor posture can produce excessive strains or injuries on their lower backs.
Another common cause of back injuries in this industry can occur from slip and fall accidents due to wet floors, uneven pavements or tripping off a step from ladders.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)
Prolonged exposure to various landscaping machinery (e.g., lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed whackers) without the use of proper ear protection can cause a landscape worker to develop NIHL. If left untreated for a long time, this condition may progress into permanent hearing loss.
Heat stress
Landscape workers do their landscaping routine outdoors, even in hot weather conditions. This strenuous activity can cause severe dehydration and other heat-related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals
Harmful chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers can come into direct contact with a landscaper’s eyes, nose, mouth or skin. Once inhaled or ingested, these dangerous toxins can irritate their respiratory tract, cause neurological conditions and increase their risks of developing cancer.
You have the right to seek compensation for your injury
Under Maryland law, most types of employees can file for a workers’ compensation claim. If you have been injured while performing your landscaping duties, seek medical care as soon as possible and file your claim with the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission.