LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDSKEEPING WORKER

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing and removing thatch, and trimming and edging around flower beds, walks, and walls.
• 2) Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, and trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders.
• 3) Mow and edge lawns, using power mowers and edgers.
• 4) Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, and shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
• 5) Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.
• 6) Decorate gardens with stones and plants.
• 7) Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers and foliage.
• 8) Gather and remove litter.
• 9) Haul or spread topsoil, and spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place.
• 10) Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring.
• 11) Plan and cultivate lawns and gardens.
• 12) Prune and trim trees, shrubs, and hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
• 13) Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.
• 14) Trim and pick flowers, and clean flower beds.
• 15) Water lawns, trees, and plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.
• 16) Advise customers on plant selection and care.
• 17) Build forms, and mix and pour cement to form garden borders.
• 18) Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, and/or playground equipment.
• 19) Maintain and repair tools, equipment, and structures such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, and benches, using hand and power tools.
• 20) Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, and other grounds features.
• 21) Shovel snow from walks, driveways, and parking lots, and spread salt in those areas.
• 22) Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste.
• 23) Care for artificial turf fields, periodically removing the turf and replacing cushioning pads, and vacuuming and disinfecting the turf after use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
• 24) Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses used on the fields.
• 25) Mark design boundaries, and paint natural and artificial turf fields with team logos and names before events.
• 26) Operate powered equipment such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chain-saws, electric clippers, sod cutters, and pruning saws.
• 27) Use hand tools such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge and brush trimmers, and axes.

Activities:

• 1) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• 2) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 3) Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.

Abilities:

• 1) Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• 2) Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
• 3) Stamina — The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
• 4) Dynamic Strength — The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
• 5) Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without ‘giving out’ or fatiguing.

Knowledge

• Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.