Inside Look at OSHA 10 Course for Landscape Industry

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Drew Garcia of Rancho Mesa gives an inside look at the 10-Hour OSHA Construction Course for the Landscape Industry.  Interested in hosting one at your facility? Contact Amy Easterday at amy@landscapeprofessionals.org or call 1-800-395-2522.

The OSHA 10 Course for the Landscape Industry is a two-day training hosted by Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, provided by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies held on May 17-18, 2018 at San Diego Christian College in Santee, CA.  

Video originally aired live on the NALP Facebook page.

Safety Si! Delivers Interactive Presentation

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Javier Mendez speaking in front of crowd at the Safety Si! workshop on Friday, April 27, 2018.

Landscape and construction contractors from across San Diego County gathered on Friday, April 27, 2018 for the Safety Si! workshop hosted by Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. at San Diego Christian College.

In general, safety training can be boring, like traffic school. But, if you go to comedy traffic school, it can be fun and interesting. That’s the tactic taken at Safety Si! They make safety fun, interesting, and proactive. And, they stress that the employee’s safety is important at work and at home.

Bi-lingual training sessions (i.e., Spanish and English) overcome many of the cultural and language barriers of Hispanic employees, and often open new lines of communication between these employees and their supervisors and managers.

Safety Si! believes their unique approach to employee training will make a positive difference in hazard identification and corrections, reducing accidents, lowering the experience modification, and improving employee morale.

Their goal is to help increase the employer's profit by decreasing the worker's compensation costs.

Their programs are designed to: 

• Lower worker's compensation insurance premiums by reducing the number of injuries, lost-time accidents and claims.
• Increase company morale and loyalty by demonstrating your interest in the safety and well-being of your employees.
• Increase productivity by identifying and correcting unsafe, wasteful and hazardous conditions in the workplace. 
• Reduce vulnerability to fines, sanctions and scrutiny from OSHA or other regulatory agencies.

About Safety Si!

Safety Si!™ is a comprehensive, interactive risk control program with a proven track record with companies throughout California and the Midwest. For more information, visit www.safetysi.com.

CLCA Utilizes Mobility & Stretch Program at Landscape Industry Certified Technician Testing

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Landscapers from all over Southern California gathered at Cuyamaca College before the sun rose on Saturday, April 14, 2018 to test their skills at the California Landscape Contractors Association's (CLCA) Landscape Industry Certified Technician testing.

Rancho Mesa's Drew Garcia and fitness trainer Collin Dawson led the certification participants in the Mobility & Stretch Program.

Lowering & Controlling the Experience MOD for Landscape Professionals

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Drew Garcia invites landscapers to attend his MOD Doctor webinar on Friday, April 13, 2018 at 11:00 AM PST.

LOWERING & CONTROLLING THE EXPERIENCE MOD FOR LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS

This webinar is designed to help you understand how a company can control and lower their experience rating through tactical solutions. This workshop is NOT intended to outline the experience rating formula. 

Not all states operate under the same experience rating formula, but, for the sake of this webinar the same principals will apply to help lower the experience rating in any jurisdiction.

Rancho Mesa Celebrates "OneofOne" Moments with Live Drawing

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

A crowd gathered at Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. and many tuned in online to watch Dave Garcia host the "OneofOne" drawing on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Over sixty clients were entered to win a chance for one of ten $250 donations to the nonprofit of their choice or the grand prize, the naming rights to an examination room at Family Health Centers of San Diego, one of Rancho Mesa's long-time clients.

In order to be entered into the drawing, clients were asked to share their “OneofOne” moment. A "OneofOne" is when Rancho Mesa has exceeded the client's expectations through excellence in customer service, risk management practices, industry expertise, workshops or any other way, big or small. We see this as being like no other agency, "OneofOne." 

Watch the exciting drawing.

Grand Prize Winner

Progressive Electric Co.
 

Winners

HVAC Exchange
Apex Pacific
MAAC Project
J. Vitale Landscape & Maintenance
True Lawn Care

Sterling Land Care
Spooner's Woodworks
Mark Harris Plumbing
Watkins Landmark Construction
Lunstrum Windows & Doors

Mobility & Stretch Program Reaches the Masses

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Upon a routine visit to Landcare Logic, President Craig Gerber proudly displayed his Mobility & Stretch poster to his insurance broker, Drew Garcia.  

The poster had been published in The Landscape Professional magazine, a publication by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) whose circulation reaches over 9,500.  The poster provides instruction on how to properly stretch before performing physical work.

Drew smiled and acknowledged he was very familiar with the poster.  His face is on it!  

The Mobility & Stretch Program was developed by Drew Garcia and personal trainer, Collin Dawson from Bodies By Collin.  It was designed specifically for the landscape and construction industries. The idea was to create a stretch program that would allow workers to stretch their bodies before starting their day. 

To learn more about the Mobility & Stretch Program, contact Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. at (619) 937-0164.

Rancho Mesa Welcomes LaBahn's Landscaping to the Family

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services would like to welcome LaBahn's Landscaping to our family.  We are very excited to be working together.

About LaBahn's Landscaping

LaBahn's Landscaping is a family-owned and operated design-build-maintenance firm serving San Diego County since 1984.  With 30 professional crews working throughout Southern California, we provide pro-active, sustainable landscaping solutions to homeowner and condo associations, apartment complexes, hospitals, corporate campuses, industrial facilities, shopping centers, hotels, resorts, and more. Excellent customer care, long-lasting relationships, and daily follow-through are the hallmarks of our commitment to quality and service. For more information, visit labahns.com.

NALP, in Partnership with Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Launch "Share Your Safety Stories" Campaign

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) in partnership with Rancho Mesa Insurance Services announced its "Share Your Safety Stories" campaign, in early January 2018.

The campaign was designed to share creative ways companies incorporate safety within their cultural.  Submissions can include fitness challenges, stretching routines, or other creative ways companies reinforce a safety cultural.

How to Participate

• Write a story, film a short video around 1:30 minutes or take a photo of the creative way you incorporate safety into the workplace.
  
  Example: Rancho Mesa's Drew Garcia made a video that highlights Rancho Mesa's 7th Inning Stretch, walking program.

• Submit your entry by email to marketing@landscapeprofessionals.org or post to social media on your own outlets using #NALPSafe or post to the NALP Facebook page. Don’t forget to tag your post – #NALPSafe.

• Submissions will be accepted until February 28, 2018.

The best and most innovative #NALPSafe safety stories will be shared with the NALP membership throughout the year.  The winner of the campaign will receive an Apple Watch.

Cal/OSHA Delivers Powerful Presentation

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Drew Garcia thanks workshop participants and Carmen Cisneros from Cal/OSHA.

Business leaders from across San Diego County gathered on Thursday, January 4, 2018 for the Cal/OSHA: Enforcement vs. Consultation Branches workshop hosted by Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. at San Diego Christian College.

Carmen Cisneros, Cal/OSHA's Consultation Services Branch Area Manager, delivered an informative presentation covering the differences between Cal/OSHA’s enforcement and consultation branches. She educated the attendees on how to take advantage of Cal/OSHA's free consultation services and provided real-world examples of her experiences in the Enforcement Branch which sparked discussions with the audience.

"Thanks for putting these on, they are valuable tool that you provide to your clients and we appreciate it," said Tyler Rogers, Heritage Landscape Services, Inc.

Mission and Purpose

Carmen began the workshop by describing her experience within Cal/OSHA's Enforcement branch before moving into the Consultation branch.  She explained the goal of Cal/OSHA is to keep people safe.  Its "mission is to promote, adopt, and maintain reasonable and enforceable standards that will ensure safe and healthful workplace for California workers."  She enjoys working within the Consultation Branch where she can help employers be proactive with their approach to safety in the workplace.

Online Resources

During the presentation, Carmen covered various pages on the Cal/OSHA website (www.dir.ca.gov/dosh) and how to navigate through the site.  She explained where to find information on how business owners can participate in advisory meetings to assist Cal/OSHA in its regulations.

Reporting

The presentation included practical information for business owners.  For example, Cal/OSHA's Enforcement Branch will respond to accidents, complaints, referrals, and imminent hazards. Carmen included definitions for terms like "catastrophe" (i.e., inpatient hospitalization of three (3) or more employees) and "serious exposure" (i.e., exposure to a hazardous substance sufficient to create a realistic possibility that death or serious physical harm in the future could result from the exposure). There was also a discussion on when and how to report an accident. When required, an employer must call to report the accident within 8 hours of knowledge of the event.  She also stressed the importance of documentation and recommended tracking the date and time the initial call was made to Cal/OSHA to report an incident.

Citations and Appeals

Carmen discussed the various categories of citations the Enforcement Branch may issue and provided maximum dollar amounts for each:

• Regulatory (up to $7,000)
• General (up to $7,000)
• Serious (up to $25,000)
• Repeat (no adjustment for good faith or history)
• Failure to Abate (maximum penalty up to $15,000)
• Willful (up to $75,000)

She also covered the Appeals Board process, including informal conferences and appeals.  The take away from this part of the presentation was that Cal/OSHA is willing to work with an employer who is genuinely taking steps to correct an issue.

Consultation Services

The main objective of the workshop was to inform employers that Cal/OSHA offers free consultation services. These are resources that are available to employers to ensure they maintain safe workplaces without the added pressure of citations or fines.  The Consultation Branch offers free:

• Onsite visits
• Offsite consultation (telephone support)
• Educational materials
• Educational outreach (workshops)
• Partnership programs

In order for the Consultation Branch to work with an employer, they must be invited and the employer must not have any current citations or penalties

The Catch.  While information is not shared with the Enforcement Branch, "serious and imminent hazards identified during a consultation are expected to be corrected in a timely manner."  So, when working with the Consultation Branch, an employer is expected to make the recommended changes within the set time frame (i.e., within 30 days, immediately); otherwise, the Enforcement Branch may become involved to prevent a serious accident.    

The Cal/OSHA website has an extensive library of educational materials that employers can utilize to ensure their workplace is safe.

Contact Cal/OSHA to schedule a free consultation.

Rancho Mesa Hosts 2018 Employment Law Workshop - Now available On Demand

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa enlisted attorney Alexis S. Gutierrez from the law firm of Higgs Fletcher & Mack to conduct its 2018 Legal Update workshop on Friday, November 17, 2017.  The event was held in the firm's building in Downtown San Diego and attracted companies from a variety of industries like construction, human services, landscape and others.

Watch Drew Garcia thank Alexis S. Gutierrez for presenting and everyone for attending the workshop.

The a copy of the workshop is now available on demand from the Risk Management Center.  Non-Rancho Mesa clients may request a copy of the video using the link below.

About Alexis S. Gutierrez

Alexis S. Gutierrez is the Chair of Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP’s Litigation Department, in addition to serving on the firm’s Executive and Management Committees.  With over 20 years of first chair experience, Mr. Gutierrez provides business and employment counseling and complex commercial litigation support to public and private entities, and non-profit organizations.  He enjoys Martindale Hubbell’s highest peer rating (“AV Preeminent”) for Legal Ability and General-Ethical Standards.  He is also a Recognized Practitioner® with Chambers USA Guide and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America®, and by San Diego Magazine for as a Top Lawyer® for Labor and Employment and ADR (since 2013). For more information, visit higgslaw.com/attorneys/alexis-s-gutierrez.

About Higgs Fletcher & Mack

Organized by specialty, Higgs Fletcher & Mack has 23 legal practice groups designed to serve individuals and both large and small businesses. This structure allows our attorneys to leverage their expertise, and work together to obtain successful resolutions to your legal issues. As San Diego grows and the innovation sector booms, so too does Higgs Fletcher & Mack. We continue to evolve the practice groups to reflect the changing legal needs of our region’s individuals and businesses. From health care to intellectual property law, family law to immigration and business litigation, we are the law firm you can trust. For more information, visit higgslaw.com.