Photo Credit: Andrew Greess
Employees are the greatest assets of parks and recreation departments, and municipalities and other agencies implement benefits and reward systems to attract and retain great people. But there are many demographic changes affecting the available labor pool--the workforce is aging, younger workers are demanding more than just a paycheck, and good employees are becoming even harder to find. As employers, parks and recreation managers need to do more to create a superb work environment. Because of these changes, it is critical for managers to ask: Does my spray-equipment strategy support my human-resource strategy?
The following offers some considerations to assist in evaluating spray equipment to determine whether it’s up to the challenge of protecting and retaining employees--specifically spray-technicians. (Note: While this article focuses on spray equipment, many of the concepts apply to other types of equipment.)
Safety
The first and most obvious consideration is safety. Have you examined equipment to ensure that all hazards have been minimized? Here are some risks to evaluate: