REVIEW — Thumbs Down

If you’re looking for a landscaper for your home or apartment complex that is careful to engage in safe work practices, you’ll want to steer clear of Licari Landscaping.

On numerous occasions during the past two years, I’ve seen workers from Licari Landscaping — based in Holtsville, New York — repeatedly:

*Point high velocity weed trimmers within inches of my car’s finish

*Point high velocity leaf blowers directly at my car for no apparent reason

*Blow huge piles of leaves, tiny stones and twigs directly at my car for no apparent reason

Here’s a sampling of these dangerous work practices, courtesy of Lacari Landscaping:

DANGEROUS USE OF A WEED TRIMMER

This landscaper is engaging in dangerous use of a weed trimmer.

The powered device, which spins at a high velocity, is incorrectly positioned high above the ground – pointed at the car.

Instead, the trimmer should be pointed towards the ground,
trimming grass.

The result: With this reckless use of a power trimmer, any tiny stones, twigs and similar car-damaging elements caught up in the wheel of the trimmer are being propelled at high velocity at the car – potentially with permanently damaging results.

Equally precarious: Should the worker trip or sneeze as he points the high velocity metal trimmer at the car’s bumper, he could easily go careening into the car — causing hundreds if not thousands of dollars of damage.

DANGEROUS USE OF A LEAFBLOWER

This landscaper is engaging in dangerous use of a leaf blower.

The question here is: How can pointing a leaf blower directly at the finish of a car be construed in any way, shape or form as engaging in landscaping?

Essentially: What landscaping function is this worker performing by pointing a leaf blower directly at the finish of a car?

DANGEROUS USE OF A POWER MOWER

This landscaper is engaging in dangerous use of riding mower.

In a move risking damage to the car’s finish, the landscaper has positioned the riding mower so the exhaust is blowing debris at a high velocity at the car.

Even worse: The exhaust of the power mower (to the right of the mower pointing at the car’s license plate) was missing a grille that should have been attached to the mouth of the black-colored exhaust.

That grille would have caught most of the debris blowing at high velocity as it exited the power mower’s exhaust.

This reckless positioning of the exhaust — compounded by the missig grille — ensures that any tiny stones, twigs or other potentially car-damaging elements caught-up in the exhaust are being fired directly at the car.

The question is: Why is this worker deliberately pointing the ungrilled exhaust directly at the car — rather than deliberately pointing it away from the car?

DANGEROUS APPROACH TO LEAF CLEAN-UP

In this next series of four pictures, you’ll see a worker deliberating blowing a huge pile of leaves directly at a car at high velocity.

The questionable work practice ensures that the leaves — along with all the tiny stones, twigs and other debris the worker is also blowing into a pile — are blown at the car for an extended amount of time at a high velocity.

You can also view a VIDEO of this questionable work practice.

Dangerous Leaf Clean-Up, PIX One

Here the worker cleaning up these leaves decides its a good idea to blow the huge pile of leaves directly at the car — along with all the tiny stones, twigs and other damaging debris embedded in those leaves.

Dangerous Leaf Clean-Up, PIX Two

Here we find the worker carrying on with his task. He has blown most of the leaves at — and then under — the car.

Dangerous Leave Clean-Up PIX Three

Here we find the worker nearly finished with his questionable work practice — blowing a the remainder of the leaves under the car.

Question: Was this worker actually trained to gather leaves by blowing those leaves at great velocity first at a car — and then under the car?

THE SCARS OF SNOW REMOVAL

NO REPLY AT ALL

As you might expect from a company that engages in these kinds of dangerous work practices, all my attempts to work with the company to engage in safer work practices were met with callous disregard.

Specifically:

*I spoke directly with with a worker who identified himself as a crew manager about Licari Landscaping’s dangerous work practices. The result: I got a few head nods followed by absolutely no change in work practices.

*I called Licari Landscaping telephone number advertised on its work truck a number of times, leaving voice messages about these dangerous work practices. The result: No reply at all.

*I mailed copies of the images above — along with supporting videos — to Licari Landscaping’s advertised business address. The result: No replay at all.

Instead, my letters were returned with a message from the U.S. Post Office that the letters could not be delivered given that Licari Landcaping’s advertised address does not have a mail receptacle. I suppose if you’re going to engage in dangerous work practices, it make sense to maintain a business address that does not accept mail.

Bottom line: There are plenty of landscapers who:

*Keep spinning power tools at a safe distance from cars and other property

*Realize that pointing a power blower directly at a car’s finish is not a good idea

*Ensure that exhaust from a power mower is not blown directly at a car

*Realize that blowing huge piles of leaves, tiny stones and twigs directly at a car — rather than away from a car — is not a good idea

In a phrase, you’ll be much safer, and much more satisfied, choosing professional landscapers who engage in these and other common sense best business practices — rather than rolling the dice with Licari Landscaping.

Currently, Licari Landscaping advertises its business address at 78-B Morris Avenue, Holtsville, New York 11742.

Holtsville is a town in Suffolk County on Long Island.

Licari Landscaping offers a full suite of landscaping care, snow removal, masonry, deer control and related services.