Landscaper job injuries are very common due to the physical and dangerous nature of the work landscapers perform. This blog also covers ground maintenance workers compensation injuries. The most common landscaping injury we see is the low back herniated disc which may lead to lumbar surgery.
Grounds maintenance workers job duties mowing, edging, and fertilizing lawns, weeding and mulching landscapes, trimming hedges, shrubs, and small trees, removing dead, damaged, or unwanted trees, planting flowers, trees, and shrubs, watering lawns, landscapes, and gardens.
Landscapers create new outdoor spaces or upgrade existing ones by planting trees, flowers, and shrubs. Landscaping includes trimming, fertilizing, mulching, and watering plants. Physically demanding duties include grading and installing lawns or constructing hardscapes such as walkways, patios, and decks. Others help installing lighting or sprinkler systems. Landscapers are employed in a variety of residential and commercial settings, such as homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, shopping malls, and hotels and motels.
Groundskeepers maintain existing grounds. They care for plants and trees, rake and mulch leaves, and clear snow from walkways. They work on athletic fields, golf courses, cemeteries, university campuses, and parks, as well as in many of the same settings as landscaping workers. They also see to the proper upkeep of sidewalks, parking lots, groundskeeping equipment, fountains, fences, planters, and benches. They mow, water, fertilize, and aerate the fields regularly. They must ensure that the underlying soil on fields with natural turf has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grass used on the field. Groundskeepers in parks and recreation facilities care for lawns, trees, and shrubs; maintain playgrounds; clean buildings; and keep parking lots, picnic areas, and other public spaces free of litter. They also may erect and dismantle snow fences, and maintain swimming pools. These workers inspect buildings and equipment, make needed repairs, and keep everything freshly painted. Some groundskeepers specialize in caring for cemeteries and memorial gardens. They dig graves to specified depths, generally using a backhoe. They mow grass, apply fertilizers, prune shrubs and trees, plant flowers, and remove debris from graves.
Landscaping or grounds maintenance work is physically demanding due to the repetitive and frequent bending, lifting, carrying and shoveling. Physical stamina is necessary as landscapers and ground maintenance workers must be capable of doing physically strenuous labor for long hours, occasionally in extreme heat or cold. Landscapers must be able to lift over 75 pounds frequently and occasionally over 100 lbs.
McCormick Law Office attorneys represent landscapers hurt on the job in Wisconsin workers compensation claims. The landscaper work-related injury is often to the lumbar spine or cervical spine and is caused by a single incident or job duties over time.
