Industry News
Reducing Risk Near Traffic for Landscaping and Tree Care Crews
Author, Jessee Keirstead, Risk Control Consultant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Landscaping and tree care companies are already high-risk operations, but few job sites present more risk than roadsides, medians, and highway corridors. When employees work is near moving traffic, the potential for severe injury increases significantly, making effective traffic management a priority.
Critical Steps That Protect Employees and Your Business Following a Work-Related Injury
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In the landscaping industry, workplace injuries can occur despite the best safety efforts. When an injury does happen, the employer’s next steps can significantly impact the outcome for the injured employee, the employer, and the insurance carrier.
Hierarchy of Controls Applied to Landscape Maintenance Fleet Safety
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The National Safety Council introduced the Hierarchy of Controls in the 1950s as a safety framework. The framework is organized as an inverse pyramid of risk mitigation practices that can help organizations reduce workplace hazards.
California’s Workers’ Comp Rates Poised to Increase Again: What the 10.4% Proposal Means for Landscape Employers
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) recently released a proposed pure premium rate increase of 10.4% across all class codes. As a reminder, the proposed increase does not mean every class code will see a 10.4% increase on their specific class code, rather that is the blended average increase across all class codes. These proposed rate increases will be reviewed by California’s Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara sometime in mid-July for the new rates to go into effect September 1, 2026.
Building a Scalable Safety Program with SafetyOne™ for Landscape Professionals
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa provides our clients the key components for building the infrastructure of a modern-day safety program through the SafetyOne™ Platform. By fundamentally layering your safety program through SafetyOne, you will build a system that can keep up with your growth, measure your goals, and keep your organization engaged.
Discussing The Hidden Levers Behind Lower Insurance Premiums with Drew Garcia and Bill Arman
During a recent interview at NALP’s ELEVATE Conference, RMI Landscape Vice President Drew Garcia joined Bill Arman from The Harvest Group to discuss how landscape companies can take greater control of their insurance outcomes. The conversation dives into practical ways businesses can reduce risk, tighten operations, and make everyday decisions that lead to stronger coverage and more favorable premiums. Fewer incidents in the field, better processes, and a proactive mindset can make a measurable difference.
Connecting Leaders in the Green Industry: Highlights from the 2026 NALP Leaders Forum
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
This year’s National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Leaders Forum took place in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA, just up the coast from San Diego. As always, this is one event that my brother Drew Garcia and I really enjoy going to every year. In fact, this marks Rancho Mesa’s 8th consecutive year sponsoring this event.
Using Technology to Reduce Risk in the Landscape Industry with Bryan Mours
Rancho Mesa's Vice President of the Landscape and Tree Care Group, Drew Garcia, interviews Bryan Mours, founder of Mours Enterprises, where they explore the technology being used to reduce risk within the landscape industry.
The Impact of Claim Frequency and Severity on a Landscape Company’s Experience MODs
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The experience modification rate (ExMod or MOD) is a measure produced by insurance rating bureaus to summarize a company’s claim history versus their industry peers. A rating generated below 1.00 is considered a credit to the workers’ compensation policy while a number above 1.00 is a debit. The ExMod has a direct impact on the cost of workers’ compensation insurance.
Fleet Safety Starts with Strong MVR Guidelines
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
One of the biggest liabilities that any landscape company faces occurs every day. This liability has nothing do with planting, mowing, trimming or irrigation work, in fact this exposure begins before any of the actual work takes place. Auto liability continues to be one of the most significant exposures every landscape company takes on when sending commercial vehicles out onto the road.
Training Your Landscape Fleet Drivers with Rancho Mesa
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Landscape businesses are well aware of the risks associated with their employees operating vehicles on a daily basis. The commercial insurance market has also taken notice of the risks and responded with rate increases and a diminishing appetite to write the policies.
Top Work-Related Injuries for Landscapers
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Travelers Insurance’s peer data from 2020 to 2025 report showcases the top work-related injury causes within the landscape industry. Looking at the top of this list, slip/trips/falls as well as strains account for roughly 40% of the injuries reported.
Have you Experienced Turbulence in Your Commercial Auto Insurance Renewal?
Landscape maintenance contractors with large fleets of service trucks are tough to place in the current insurance market. This, along with a hardening general liability market has lead to some frustrating insurance renewals.
Rancho Mesa Insurance’s Green Industry Practice Group has helped over a 100 landscape and tree care customers currently operating across the country with navigating this turbulent market. Connect with them for a more detailed review of your company’s insurance placement needs.
Four Areas of Focus for Landscape Contractors During A Hard Insurance Market
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The property and casualty insurance market continues to impact landscape contractors resulting in increased costs, changes to carrier appetites, and overall concerns for insurability. There are four areas of focus your business can review to help manage the things that are somewhat unpredictable during this difficult insurance market
The Importance of an Insurance Pre-Renewal Meeting
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
At Rancho Mesa, we conduct annual insurance pre-renewal meetings with all of our clients and it has always been a crucial part of the insurance renewal cycle. Now with increased pressure on all lines of coverage, the importance of the pre-renewal meeting is even more critical.
Understanding Premise Liability for Landscape Maintenance Companies
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Vice President at Rancho Mesa, Drew Garcia sits down with John Fischl, Regional Executive with Sentry Insurance, to discuss premise liability risks for landscape maintenance companies, focusing on preventing slip and fall accidents and strategies for mitigating these risks.
Creating a Standard Operating Procedure for Work-Related Incidents
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In order to improve a process, there needs to be a baseline. When it comes to tracking, reporting, and following through on a work-related incident, injury or illness, creating a standard operating procedure (SOP) sets the foundation. Flow charts can help all stakeholders better visualize the process and show potential next steps based on yes/no questions. This type of operating procedure also shows the duties and obligations for the individual employee, supervisor, human resources personnel and safety manager that is involved.
Risk Management and Contract Strategies to Protect Your Landscape Business
In this second episode of a special two-part series, Landscape Group Vice President Drew Garcia, is joined by Josh Ferguson, attorney with Freeman Mathis & Gary, to discuss contract strategies and risk mitigation for slip and fall incidents.
Navigating Snow and Ice Contracts: Best Practices for Landscape Contractors
In this first episode of a special two-part series, Landscape Group Vice President Drew Garcia, is joined by Josh Ferguson, attorney with Freeman Mathis & Gary, to discuss risk management for snow and ice operations and what landscape contractors should know.
Reviewing 2024 Insurance Landscape and Forecasting into 2025
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Now that we’ve turned our calendars and 2024 has come to an end, I wanted to give a brief review of the current state of the auto insurance and workers’ compensation markets within the green industries (i.e., lawn, landscape and tree care).