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GET THE JUSTICE YOU DESERVE:
Law Offices of Alvin F. de Levie
TALK TO ALVIN TODAY FOR FREE
(215) 696-3900
Law Offices of Alvin F. de Levie
TALK TO ALVIN TODAY FOR FREE
(215) 696-3900

Blog Post

LAW BLOG

Supervisors in the Landscaping Industry At Risk of Catastrophic Injury

  • By Al de Levie
  • 08 Dec, 2017

First-line supervisors in the landscaping industry are at a greater risk of suffering a catastrophic injury than the employees they supervise.

The Ten Deadliest Jobs in America: No. 10 - Supervisors in the Landscaping Industry

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 10th deadliest job in America is to be a first-line supervisor in the landscaping industry.  Working in the landscaping industry can put you and your loved ones at risk of receiving a catastrophic injury. The personal injury attorneys at Alvin F. de Levie & Associates can help you get the help you deserve if you or a loved one gets injured.

Why are Supervisors in the Landscaping Industries so Prone To Injury?

While it may come as a surprise that supervisors would be at higher risk of suffering a catastrophic injury than the employees they supervise, first-line supervisors are often deeply involved with the workers on the ground. First-line supervisors are responsible for making sure the employees are meeting their deadlines, and they usually must provide workers with assistance in performing their duties to make sure their jobs get done on time.  If a supervisor is performing the actual landscaping work, it is likely he or she is doing so under the stress of deadlines and other management duties, increasing the risk of injury from accidents and faulty equipment.

Supervisors are also required to move from jobsite to jobsite to monitor the activities of their employees. Always being on the road driving from one place to another dramatically increases the risk of being involved in a transportation-related accident. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, the most common cause of fatal injuries among landscaping supervisors was transportation-related.  

What Are Common Causes of Injuries and Fatalities in the Landscaping Industry?

The CDC has separated the leading causes of injury in the landscaping industry into several different categories, including:
Workplace Falls: Those working in the landscaping industry are continually at risk of falling. Workers often fall from trees and ladders during maintenance. It is also common for workers to fall into holes and trenches, or to trip and stumble on tools or other objects.  

Exposure to Extreme Temperatures or Dangerous Substances: During the summer months, landscapers are working for long hours outside during the day, putting them at high risk of heatstroke and other injuries. According to the Hershey Medical Center, symptoms of heatstroke include extreme confusion, seizures, rapid pulse, and unconsciousness. Without immediate medical care, heat exhaustion can cause severe or permanent injury and even death. Landscaping workers and their supervisors are also surrounded continuously by dangerous, toxic substances. These include pesticides, fertilizers, and other landscaping chemicals.  Workers are also subjected to toxic vapors and fumes from the gasoline and oil used to operate their equipment.  

Transportation-related Injuries: Transportation-related injuries, which the CDC claims account for around 33% of all fatal landscaping injuries, are also a constant threat to landscaping works and their supervisors.  The injuries can occur when transporting tools and heavy machinery or when traveling between work sites. These injuries also include injuries that occur while operating equipment such as ride-on lawn mowers. Ride-on lawnmowers can be extremely dangerous: a woman in Clearfield County was recently killed while using a ride-on lawnmower when she was thrown from the lawnmower after striking a retaining wall.  

Contact with Equipment or Objects: These types of injuries occur when landscaping workers and their supervisors are struck by objects, such as falling tree limbs. They also include injuries caused when workers are hit by their equipment. These injuries typically occur when workers are using equipment to trim trees and bushes, clear land, and digging. The CDC has estimated that contact injuries cause about 25% of landscaping fatalities.

What to Do if You or a Loved One Has Been Injured While Working in the Landscaping Industry?

If you or a loved one has been injured while working in the landscaping industry, you need to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer. Work injuries can present complex legal issues. Depending on whether you are an employee of the landscaping company or an independent contractor at the time of the injury, workers’ compensation laws may limit your rights to sue someone in civil court, and your employer may get to decide what kind of care you receive.

Further, when equipment failures and defects cause an injury, you may have claims against the manufacturer for their failures in manufacturing the equipment or their failure to warn of the dangers posed by the equipment. In any case, insurance companies will likely seek to place as much of the blame on you as possible, arguing that you knew the risks involved in the work or that you weren’t careful.


At the Law Office of Alvin F. de Levie & Associates, we have decades of experience handling injury claims for those who suffer catastrophic injuries throughout the Commonwealth. We have handled cases from Philadelphia and the surrounding counties to Centre County, Clearfield County, and Allegheny County. If you have suffered an injury while working in the landscaping industry, contact us – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – at (844) 777-2529 for a consultation.

Alvin F. de Levie is a 1973, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a 1976 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law. He is an expert in Pennsylvania Law revolving around medical malpractice and personal injury. 


Mr. de Levie has consistently been voted by his peers to receive Martindale-Hubbell's "AV Preeminent" 5.0 out of 5.0 rating. An AV Preeminent rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. 


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