To all of our valued Members - On behalf of the entire MNLA Team, we hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe during this difficult time. As the Coronavirus evolves we bring you these resources to help protect you, your business and your team. These can all be found below. Please note that changes are now occurring hourly and we recommend that you check these resources frequently to ensure that you have the latest information.
May 28, 2020: MDARD Announces Temporary Program to get Commercial Pesticide Applicators Registered
Good Afternoon MNLA Members,
The Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has received authority to develop a temporary program that allows you, a Michigan business, to get your employees trained to apply general use pesticides only (restricted use pesticides are not allowed under this program) during this time that in-person exams are not available. This temporary program is the Registered Applicator Program and only applies to the commercial applicators (there is a separate program for Private Applicators). This is an overview of how it works:
1. One of your employees, that is a currently certified pesticide applicator with at least 2 years of experience, takes and passes a Registered Applicator Trainer Exam (this is scheduled and done over the telephone with an MDARD representative).
2. Once this employee passes the exam they become a Registered Applicator Trainer and they then can then train your other employees (with an program already developed by MSU and available at no charge).
3. After this training the Trainer administers an exam to these employees. Once an employee passes with a score of 70% or better, the trainer completes a Registered Applicator Verification Form and Application and mails it in with a check or money order for $45 to the MDARD.
4. Once these steps are completed, the Registered Applicator can begin working immediately.
The full program, the Exam, Forms, and instructions (with a frequently asked questions and answers) are attached HERE. Please contact me should you have any questions.
Thank you and please take care.
Amy Upton, MNLA
Amy@MNLA.org
May 15, 2020: MNLA Member Updates & Information
To Our Valued Green Industry Members:
On behalf of the MNLA Team we continue to work to keep you in compliance, provide information to keep you and your employees safe, advocate for and administer the services you need, and keep you up-to-date on pertinent items and issues.
Here are topics included in today’s communication:
COVID-19 Update
Safety, Safety, Safety!
Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification Program
Unemployment Update
Secretary of State Services
Work Permits for Youth
This Week’s Frost and Japanese Maples--by Dr. Dave Roberts
April 30, 2020: Preparedness Plans for Landscape Contractors, Retail Garden Centers and Lawncare Managers
Any decision to continue operating during COVID-19 is at the sole discretion of the business owner. Please make your business decision based on what is best for your employee's, customer's, and supplier's health. If you choose to operate, here is an explanation of, and reminder to follow, the enhanced social distancing guidelines as outlined in Executive Order NO. 2020-59. It is important that we remain vigilant and follow these guidelines in order to keep our employees and customers safe and to retain our ability to work. Remember, we are a highly visible industry and we are being watched. If you see a firm not following these guidelines please let us know and we will contact them directly. Your report will remain anonymous. Please contact Amy at amy@mnla.org to place a report.
All segments of our industry that remain open for in-person work must adhere to Section 11 of the Executive Order (click here to see the full text in Section 11). Here are the key points:
1. Every business must implement and have a Preparedness and Response Plan available at company headquarters or the worksite. We’ve developed templates of these plans for your use—“Plan for Landscape Contractors”, “Plan for Retail Garden Centers”, and “Plan for Lawncare Managers”. Please download the appropriate plan and personalize it for your company’s use by adding your company name and implementing and adhering to the safety protocols within.
2.The Executive Order does not allow gatherings of any size in which people cannot maintain six feet of distance from one another. This includes work trucks! You CANNOT have more than one individual per truck, unless they are six feet from each other. We know that this is going to make it hard on our businesses but if we don’t comply with this we may not be able to work at all.
3. You must limit in-person interaction with clients and patrons to the maximum extent possible, and barring this interaction if you cannot maintain six feet of distance from one another.
4.You must provide personal protective equipment as appropriate for the activity being performed. This includes gloves, goggles, face shields, and face masks.
5.You must limit the sharing of tools and equipment and ensure frequent and thorough cleaning of tools, equipment, and frequently touched surfaces.
6. You must restrict the number of workers on premises to no more than is strictly necessary.
7.You must keep workers and patrons who are on premises at least six feet from one another to the maximum extent possible.
8.You must increase facility cleaning and disinfection and adopt protocols to clean and disinfect in the event of a positive COVID-19 case in the workplace.
9.You must adopt policies to prevent workers from entering the premises if they display symptoms or have had contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 (these policies are included in the Preparedness Plans—see above).
April 24, 2020:
MNLA Members,
We are pleased to report that through our collective efforts our industry has been exempted in Executive Order No. 2020-59 and we are allowed to go back to work. REMEMBER: We are still in a pandemic and we must be diligent in following safety protocols in order to keep everyone in our industry safe. If you cannot work safely, then please do not go back to work.
Working is now a privilege that we must not take lightly or it will be taken away.
We are still under a Stay-at-Home Order, which means that people are home and are going to be watching everything that goes on in their neighborhoods.
It is important that under this scrutiny our industry as a collective whole is showing that we are following the safety protocols and are keeping our employees and customers safe.
Let’s start a peer-to-peer support group and whenever possible let’s encourage each other to follow the rules and implement safety protocols.
According to our attorney, here is what you have to know and do to go back to work under Executive Order NO. 2020-59:
1. We were exempted in 10.(c) of the order:
- Workers for garden stores, nurseries, and lawn care, pest control, and landscaping operations, subject to the enhanced social-distancing rules described in section 11(h) of this order.
2. This Order has immediate effect and you can go back to work/open your stores as soon as you have done the following items.
3. If you choose to go back to work, you MUST adhere to section 11:
- 11. Businesses, operations, and government agencies that remain open for in-person work must adhere to sound social distancing practices and measures, which include but are not limited to:
(a) Developing a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan, consistent with recommendations in Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, developed by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (attached). Such plan must be available at company headquarters or the worksite. Read the safety protocols below that we’ve assembled from our partners. They are in both English and Spanish.
(b) Restricting the number of workers present on premises to no more than is strictly necessary to perform the in-person work permitted under this order.
(c) Promoting remote work to the fullest extent possible.
(d) Keeping workers and patrons who are on premises at least six feet from one another to the maximum extent possible.
(e) Increasing standards of facility cleaning and disinfection to limit worker and patron exposure to COVID-19, as well as adopting protocols to clean and disinfect in the event of a positive COVID-19 case in the workplace.
(f) Adopting policies to prevent workers from entering the premises if they display respiratory symptoms or have had contact with a person with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.
(g) Any other social distancing practices and mitigation measures recommended by the CDC.
(h) For businesses and operations whose in-person work is permitted under sections 10(c) through 10(e) of this order, the following additional measures must also be taken:
(1) Barring gatherings of any size in which people cannot maintain six feet of distance from one another.
(2) Limiting in-person interaction with clients and patrons to the maximum extent possible, and barring any such interaction in which people cannot maintain six feet of distance from one another.
(3) Providing personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, face shields, and face masks as appropriate for the activity being performed.
(4) Adopting protocols to limit the sharing of tools and equipment to the maximum extent possible and to ensure frequent and thorough cleaning of tools, equipment, and frequently touched surfaces.
4. To reiterate, Section 11(h)(2) says these resumed businesses should limit in-person interaction with clients and patrons to the maximum extent possible, barring any such interactions in which people cannot maintain 6 feet of distance from one another. Online order and curbside pickup would be the easiest way to do this. But, if a garden store or nursery could facilitate shopping and checkout without in-person interaction (between employees and patrons or among patrons) that is also permissible.
5. Section 7 is the place where individuals are given permission to leave their homes. Section 7(a)(4) gives permission to perform the resumed activities described in section 10 (our section) “after being designated to perform such work by their employers.” So, every business should draft a memo to file designating all of their employers to perform work under Section 10(c) and keep it on file, in case anyone asks.
Thank you and please be safe out there.
SAFETY PROTOCOLS:
Here are Safety Protocols that we’ve assembled from our national partners and other states that are working and adhering the CDC Social Distancing Guidelines. These protocols are in both English and Spanish. It will not be business as usual and it is imperative that we are prepared and are adhering to these protocols. Public pressure will be great and we must present ourselves as a professional industry that is working safely.
Garden Center Safety Protocols Centro de jardinería / Invernadero minorista
Landscape Contractor Safety Protocols Contratista / Gerente de Paisaje
Lawn Care Safety Protocols Gerentes de cuidado del césped
April 23, 2020: Michigan landscapers are ready to get back to work during the COVID-19 crisis – and we’re ready to do it safely! Help us get the message to Governor Whitmer that our work is contactless, safe and important.
April 18, 2020: Important Announcement--Filed Complaint regarding Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-42
Dear MNLA Members,
On behalf of the MNLA Board of Directors, a lawsuit has been filed in federal court on behalf of the MNLA membership and several specific companies regarding Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-42. The decision was made with much debate and careful thought by your MNLA Board but we felt this was the best way to defend your right to work safely and help you and your employees get back to work. More details can be found in the Press Release below and will be made available as updates next week.
Please be safe.
Amy Upton, Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRESS RELEASE (PDF)
April 17, 2020: Online Resources & Opportunities for the week of April 20-24th
April 16, 2020: MNLA Updates - Act NOW and Snow tomorrow
Good Afternoon MNLA Members:
1) ACT NOW to Demonstrate that the Green Industry can work safely!
2) Accumulating snow predicted for tomorrow—can you legally do snow removal for all of your clients?
1) Garden Center, Lawn Care, and Landscapers—ACT NOW to Demonstrate that the Green Industry can work safely!
On April 7th, Senate Majority Leader Shirkey announced the formation of the “Safe Behavior for Safe Workplaces” workgroup led by Senator Horn. The workgroup was established to gather information from businesses, medical professionals and citizens across Michigan to create recommendations for best practices in the workplace in preparation for a transition back to work.
They’ve established a website and WE NEED ALL GREEN INDUSTRY COMPANIES AND EMPLPOYEES to click HERE to go to this website and fill in the safety protocols that you will implement/use, should you be allowed to go back to work. The responses they receive will be put into recommendations and sent to the Governor for consideration. Please note: this Call to Action does NOT apply to our nursery and greenhouse grower operations that fall under the agriculture exemption.
The MNLA has compiled safety protocols for our independent RETAIL GARDEN CENTERS/RETAIL GREENHOUSE GROWERS, our LAWN CARE, and our LANDSCAPE FIRMS. These protocols are attached and you can copy and paste the ones you will implement/use directly into the area provided on this website.
2) Accumulating snow predicted for tomorrow—can you legally do snow removal for your clients?
We are expecting accumulating snow for tomorrow and the MNLA team is asking the Governor for clarification on which of your customers you can service. When and if we get clarification from her office we’ll let you know. Until then we can only refer back to and use our best judgement on EO 2020-42 and the subsequent FAQ put into effect on April 9, 2020 (language is at the link below in section a) ):
a) You can provide snow removal service IF you are designated a supplier, distribution center, or service provider by a critical infrastructure business! In Section 9. (b) (1) – (4) of the Executive Order (CLICK HERE) you can continue to work if you are designated a supplier, distribution center, or service provider by a critical infrastructure business. These designations should be made in writing.
b) FAQ/EO 2020-42: May landscaping, lawncare, tree service, irrigation, and related outdoor maintenance companies operate under this order?
In nearly all cases, no. A business cannot designate workers to perform these services unless the service is necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operations of a residence. This is a narrow exception that only permits in-person work that is strictly necessary to address a circumstance that
immediately and genuinely impairs the habitability of a home during the emergency; the exception will be satisfied, at most, rarely. Routine concerns, such as about longer grass increasing insects, pests, or allergies, do not qualify. Nor can workers leave the home to perform these services at business facilities: the exception applies only to residences. Any necessary in-person work that is permitted under the order must be done in accordance with the mitigation measures required under section 10 of the order. The order does not prohibit homeowners from tending to their own yards as they see fit.
You can contact me at amy@mnla.org should you have any questions.
Working together we will get through this, be safe and prosper!
April 13, 2020: Updates from the MNLA Office
On behalf of everyone at MNLA, we hope that you and your family are healthy.
Here are updates from the MNLA Team. Please note that information is changing on an hourly basis and we’re working hard to keep you informed. We appreciate your patience during this fluid situation. In today’s update we’re providing the following:
1. Our New Executive Order and FAQ
2. What we’re doing for you
a. State advocacy efforts
b. Workgroup on Reopening Business – April 17 recommendations to Governor
c. National organizations and options
3. Protests – More harm than good for our industry
4. Business Financial Relief – Details on what is available to you
5. Families First Coronavirus Response Act – Effective Date April 1st - Employer Responsibilities
6. MNLA Member COVID-19 Survey – Please CLICK HERE to provide us with
how our Stay-at-Home Order is impacting your business. The information
you provide is confidential and will be utilized only to get you safely
back to work.
April 10, 2020: Online Resources & Opportunities for the week of April 13-16th
April 7, 2020: Updates from the MNLA Office
April 3, 2020: Online Resources & Opportunities for the week of April 6-9th
March 30, 2020: Updates from the MNLA Team
March 30, 2020: Online Resources & Opportunities for the week of March 30-April 3rd
March 26, 2020: Breaking News from Governor Whitmer's Press Conference Today
March 23, 2020: Breaking News
Michigan’s Governor has issued a “Stay at Home” Executive Order that begins March 24 at 12:01 a.m. and continues through April 13, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
March 19, 2020: - Coronavirus Information for Michigan's Green Industry: A Message from the MNLA Board of Directors
