Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company

This research looks into the aspect of understanding the hazards involved in the processes of the Perennial Landscaping Company and the risks that are associated with them, along with the identification of efficient control measures and remedial recommendations that help cater to the needs of preventing and managing such risks.

Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company 1
Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company 2
Executive Summary
The theme of this research is my understanding of the concept of risk assessing and management,
especially through the case of a construction industry perspective with that of the Perennial
Landscaping Company. The situation revolves around the case of the said Company receiving a
contractual task that requires several activities that are in lieu of posing a threat to the safety and
health of the workers of the company along with its financial progress.
The research involves the identification of the hazards in the departments of Chemical, Noise,
Plant/Equipment and Sun Exposure along with the risk factors that are associated with them.
These are assessed for being put under relevant brackets of the risk monitoring and analysing
matrix to get an even better understanding and how the remedial actions taken will affect their
current matrix standings in terms of severity, moderation and rarity of occurrence. The last step
in this research was providing practical recommendations to implement better usage of the risk
related practices which included better safety and health standards, noise monitoring, formation
of a risk assessment team, creating a paradigm for risk assessment, along with addressing of the
plant/equipment related hazards.
Keywords: Risk management, Landscaping Company, Chemical & Noise Hazards, Risk
identification.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................4
Identifying Hazards Involved in the Job..................................................................................................4
1. Chemical Hazards Involved..............................................................................................................5
2. Noise Hazards Involved.....................................................................................................................6
3. Plant/Equipment Hazards Involved.................................................................................................7
4. Sun Exposure & Other Relevant Hazards Involved.......................................................................7
Assessing the Risks Relevant To the Identified Hazards........................................................................8
Identifying Appropriate Control Measures.............................................................................................8
Recommendations...................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................................12

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Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company
Introduction
The landscaping industry is a growing one, where advancements can be seen in a variety
of its departments such as building, demolishing, constructing and planting etc. This research
looks into the aspect of understanding the hazards involved in the processes of the Perennial
Landscaping Company and the risks that are associated with them, along with the identification
of efficient control measures and remedial recommendations that help cater to the needs of
preventing and managing such risks. This risk management process will involve risk
identification, risk analysis, risk exposure, risk response, risk planning, monitoring and also the
application of quality management tools for increasing and maintaining desired efficiency levels
within the company (Kululanga & Kuotcha, 2010). Risk assessment and management is a
multiple step process, and one that is essential for any type of business sector to implement it for
dealing with a risk factor that may occur in the future beforehand. Various studies and research
materials also link effective risk management processes to that of sustainability of a company or
brand through the case of eliminating corporate risks, identifying the risk culture involved,
paying attention to climatic change and global warming and the effectiveness of the economy in
general (Yilmaz & Flouris, 2010). The basic factors that are associated with the risk management
practices within a company include better sustainable business practices, improving the
reputation of the company, increasing contributions in the financial, social and environmental
aspects, along with the promotion of organizational efficiency and innovation.
Identifying Hazards Involved in the Job
The highlight of the contract tasks structure includes clearing the current vegetation and
trees, using chemical fertilizers to replenish the soil, placement of large boulders in a selective

Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company 5
manner, manual planting of the trees and shrubs along with the laying of instant turf in selective
locations. The identification of the hazards involved within this job at the Perennial Landscaping
Company will be directed towards four main areas which include Chemicals, Noise along with
the Plant/Equipment and the sun exposure with relevance to the other hazards involved at the
Site of construction and establishment. The hazards associated with these four aspects of the job
can be highlighted as follows;
1. Chemical Hazards Involved
When the case of chemicals and their associated hazards is discussed, it is important to
understand that there is a risk factor involved and it should be managed on the bases of
prioritizing the hazards that are linked to the chemical usage (Meek et al., 2011). This is
important because there are co-exposures to chemicals for the workers and some hazards are
more severe in occurrence and result than others, which need attention and prevention through
more strict means. The hazards that are involved with the chemical usage for this job at Perennial
Landscaping Company include that of the three major categories such as acid based liquids,
vapours/fumes and materials that are flammable as well. These can cause major health set-backs
and underlying conditions that arise from the ingestion, inhalation, absorption and poisoning
with relevance to such chemical availabilities. Calculation of th4e toxicity and concentration of
the chemicals that are involved is also mandatory, to keep in mind the health safety standards for
the workers that will be performing their duties in their presence (Backhaus & Faust, 2012). The
health risks that are involved in relation to the chemical hazards include cardiovascular diseases
and long term breathing and inhalation complications.

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2. Noise Hazards Involved
Noise pollution is not a factor that can be ignored, especially when the nature of the job allows
for a large portion of it to be identified. General exposure to the people that work in this industry
of landscaping and particularly this job, where the construction and placement of things will be
at a high percentage, is 10% of the total population of the world (Butkus, Šarlauskas, &
Vasiliauskas, 2015). This is because the levels of noise will be higher and the work activities that
are conducted in this sector will be much closely related to noise generation. The results and
hazards of noise related activities that are associated with the job at hand include temporary and
permanent hearing impairment or hearing loss that may or may not be treated through
medication. It can clearly be identified as one of the most hazardous activities that are involved
in the performing of this job at hand. Maximum permissible noise levels for construction
purposes in Singapore can be highlighted as follows;

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Source: (Singapore Noise Regulations, 2019).
3. Plant/Equipment Hazards Involved
The plant/equipment related hazards are also an area to be focused upon, as the hazards in
relevance to this factor can also be of great consequence. The most evident way in which the
hazards of plant/equipment occur include that of the natural calamities and disasters. Ergonomic
factors are closely related to the case of risk management, which is a vital part of the Non-
Mechanical risk factors that are involved in this contractual job (De la Garza, Labarthe, &
Graglia, 2012). This threat is directed towards the maintainenece and performance along with
reliability of the plant and equipment that will be involved in this job (Krausmann, Cozzani,
Labarthe & Graglia, 2012). According to Workplace safety and health guidelines for Singapore,
more elaborate understanding of the risks involved with this factor include Mechanical hazards
(entanglement, crushing, cutting, impact, shearing, and draw-in) and Non-Mechanical hazards
(falling from heights and noise hazards, heat hazards, chemical hazards, electric hazards,
ergonomic risk factors such as awkward postures, repetitive movements and fatigue). The
Ergonomics factor includes the three main areas which are equally important and can be
identified as follows;
1. Physical ergonomics, which deals with the human characteristics that relate to physical
activity.
2. Cognitive ergonomics, which deals with the mental processes which affect the interactions
between humans and other elements of a system.
3. Organizational ergonomics, which relates to the entire social-technical system of work.

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4. Sun Exposure & Other Relevant Hazards Involved
Sun exposure for long can not only increase the melanin levels in the body, but also cause health
issues such as skin cancer or burns and rashes on the skin, which can be a cause of irritation, pain
and discomfort as well. These hazards are not limited but vary as someone might also develop
other medical problems due to prolonged sun exposure for working at this contract. Other
hazards to this job include the psychosocial hazards that relate to the stress of the workers and
employees that are involved in this case. The other hazards that can occur within the workplace
also include those which come under psychological hazards. These type of hazards have the
potential of increasing the stress levels of the workers and employees through various
contributing factors such as workplace pressure, fatigue, violence, discrimination, bullying, and
harassment along with any kind of exposure to traumatic events that occur within the workplace.
Assessing the Risks Relevant To the Identified Hazards
The use of health and safety regulations to maintain the level of risk management within
the Perennial Landscaping Company especially for the nature of this contractual job, will prove
as an important step in the risk assessing and managing process to help deal with these hazards in
a better and more professional manner. For this, the risk management leader/manager must be
having equivalent experience and skills to determine what course of action must be taken to
better counter the risks that are involved and identified (Serpella, Ferrada, Howard, & Rubio,
2014). The risks that are highlighted in the hazards involved above include the healthy, financial,
sustainability and economic related ones. These can be highlighted through the hazards that were
found in the different aspects of this study under the brackets of chemicals, plant/equipment,
noise, sun exposure and more. Occupational safety and health needs not to be overlooked,
especially when the hazards and associated are found in such a large number at such cases and

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jobs. Health and safety management according to compliance is also important in any company,
to avoid the risk factors from becoming a threat to the health of the people that work in such an
environment (Haddad, Galante, Caldas, & Morgado, 2012). For this to become a reality, better
safety and health measures such as that which lie under the occupational hygiene are more
relevant to be studied and implemented as well. This is because occupational hygiene is the
series of actions that are dedicated to anticipation, recognition, and evaluation, communication of
any type of environmental hazards that are or can occur within the workplace.
Identifying Appropriate Control Measures
The risk association and management calls for the use of a matrix that helps in
determining the case of the risk factor involved in terms of the ways in which the impact of the
risk can be reduced or deducted completely (Embry et al., 2014). The following charts were used
as measuring tools for identifying the level of risk and the required level of management for
each;

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The appropriate control measures that can be taken to tackle the hazards and the risks
that are involved include the following;
1. The hazards that are involved through the case of chemicals can be graded in the 5th level of
severity which relates to the catastrophic identification, leading to death, multiple diseases or the
injuries that are major and multiple in number. The remedial measures for this will help decrease
it to the ranking of 3rd level which is the moderate one, relating to the injury requiring medical
treatment and burn related disorders.
2. The hazards that are involved through the case of the noise which is involved can be graded in
the level 3 of severity which is the moderate level, leading to the understanding that the injuries
or health complications can be tackled through the case of medical ailment and treatments. This
can be changed through remedial measures of safety and protection to the medium risk level of
remote occurrence, which shows that the severity is decreased and the risks to health will occur
in much less terms.
3. The hazards that are involved with the plant/equipment related factors can be graded in the 5th
level of severity, which also relates to catastrophe, showing that there is a much needed
prioritization when it comes to this matter, because of its high levels of negative impact. Through
remedial measures, it can be decreased to the moderate level of the severity and can be graded in

Risk Management at Perennial Landscaping Company
11
level 3 of severity, showing that the injuries will be liable for treatment through medications but
can be cured and overcome.
4. The hazards that are involved with the extended sun exposure can be graded in level 3 of
severity, where the implications will lead to the burns, dermatitis and work related disorders of
the skin that are a result of the extended sun exposure. Through the application of remedial
measures, it can be decreased to the rarity level where the occurrence of such disasters and health
implications can be avoided greatly.
Recommendations
The recommendations that can be suggested in this case can be given as follows;
1. Use of better practices when it comes to the health and safety standards of the workers and
employees that will be working on this contractual job for the Perennial Landscaping Company.
2. Noise monitoring should be conducted to maintain effective levels of noise regulations within
the workplace and areas of construction (Verbeek, Kateman, Morata, Dreschler, & Mischke,
2012). HLPP or hearing loss protection programs should also be conducted to raise awareness
within the community and the company itself. Noise protectors can also be used as preventive
measures (Williams, 2012). These noise protectors can aid greatly in the case of preventing noise
related hazards.
3. The developmental areas that are associated with the risk and hazards of a plant/equipment
factor should be addressed and maintained as well (Edwards & Holt, 2009). These areas of
development and maintainenece include maintainenece of the plant/equipment, checking their
downtime and optimization levels, along with operator competence and machine control.

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4. A paradigm for risk assessment is important to be constructed, so that the risk manager knows
what step to start with and what areas to focus on (World Health Organization, 2010). These
steps include formulating the problem, identifying and characterizing the hazards, assessing the
exposures involved and characterization of the risks. Increased competition within the industry
has also paved way for less quality induced behaviours for the management of such landscaping
companies (Banaitiene, & Banaitis, 2012). This is important to be addressed as there is a need
for better quality management methods and ways within the Landscaping firms of the world.
5. A risk assessment team be formed to tackle the case of how many risks and hazards involved
can put the safety and health of the workers at risk and also hinder the performance of the
company in general (The Ministry Of Manpower, 2011). This will ensure better practices and
implement efficient ways in which the process of risk management can be better handled in the
future and present.
6. Better management of mental well-being regarding the workers and employees of a company
is also important. This can be done effectively through application of a hierarchy of controls,
along with the development of specific programs and policies that address the factors
contributing to psychological hazards and stress.
Conclusion
The theoretical aspect of this case was the understanding of risk assessment and
management practices that are a part of the risk analysis process that the Perennial Landscaping
Company will need to implement for a better understanding of how they can identify, limit,
overcome and also avoid risk and hazardous factors in the future and present times, in relation
with the contractual task that they have received. The recommendations if followed properly, can

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aid in the development of their practices and also lead them towards a better risk analysed
pathway that helps in elimination of any hazards to ensure smooth running of their tasks.

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