The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new workplace guidance related to coronavirus. The stronger guidance was created in response to direction from President Biden to provide clear recommendations for employers in order to keep workers safe.

The new guidance, “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” does not constitute a standard or regulation. OSHA states that it does not create any new legal obligations for employers.

The Colorado state 2021 legislative session convened on January 13 for three days and is currently on a temporary recess. The Colorado General Assembly is expected to reconvene on February 16 and tackle many of the issues left on the table last year amid the pandemic.

In the three days of the session, legislators were sworn in and seven bills became law. Two laws are of specific interest to businesses. In most cases, the new laws involved some “housekeeping” that cleaned up details left from last year’s session.

Landscape contractors in the Colorado Springs area should be aware of a new ordinance now in effect regarding utility locates. The Underground Damage Prevention Safety Program took effect on January 1, 2021.

The ordinance is similar to state laws, with some additional requirements and enforcement. Read the full ordinance. 

There are several virtual opportunities to learn more about the requirements of the new ordinance and plans for enforcement: February 3 or February 5, 7:00 am-8:30 am. Interested professionals can register online to attend.

Each year at ProGreen EXPO, business leaders have had the opportunity to meet at a VIP breakfast or lunch gathering to network and share, and to learn about issues affecting the Colorado green industry. While ProGreen’s online format this year doesn’t allow for a traditional face-to-face, catered event, Colorado Green spoke with John McMahon, Chief Executive Officer at ALCC, and with other industry professionals to gather input on the state of the industry and offer thoughts on the Colorado economy as a precursor to the state of the industry panel discussion that will take place during the ProGreen Experience.

Confused by Colorado sales and use taxes? You are not alone. But some new tools are available while landscape industry advocates work toward sales and use tax reform. Colorado Department of Revenue Tax Division has unveiled its promised Sales  and Use Tax System (SUTS) aimed at helping businesses comply with state requirements.

The SUTS portal automates collections and remittances of retail sale tax and is available to businesses with retail sales over $100,000 per year. Next year the system will be made available to more businesses outside of those parameters.

Also included in SUTS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that allows any visitor to the site to look up a ZIP code or address and see the local tax rate as well as a breakdown of rate details.  

Click here to view the SUTS portal or to sign up as a user.

See the GIS or Sales Tax Lookup Tool. 

Every member of the green industry faced challenges in the pandemic. Landscape contractors ended up being incredibly busy, and supply chain disruptions of all sorts made it difficult to complete some projects in a timely fashion. Recently, Colorado Green NOW checked in with some green industry members who were forced to quickly adapt their procedures to fit the “new normal” and continue to serve their clients. In some ways, the landscape industry remains old-fashioned. Personal relationships and face-to-face interactions are key to doing business. But as an industry often affected by unpredictability (i.e., weather), resilience is also a hallmark.

OSHA has issued a reminder that employers may submit injury and illness data for the year 2020 from January 2-March 2, 2021. Employers with 250 employees or more, employers with 20-249 employees in specific injuries (including construction) are required to keep such records and submit the data electronically. 

The ProGreen Experience will feature more than one keynote presentation during the 2021 conference, to be held February 22-25 online. The keynote sessions will be featured at the beginning of each full day of sessions. will be available for the basic attendance rate ($25/member, $40/nonmembers) allowing all ProGreen registrants to participate.

This week, the US Small Business Association (SBA) re-opened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to new applications and some existing borrowers, allowing only community financial institutions to make the initial loans. The first round of First Draw PPP loan applications opened Monday, January 11. Second Draw PPP loan applications opened Wednesday, January 13. All SBA lenders will be allowed to make PPP loans some time after those dates.

With goals to increase access to small businesses and simplify debt forgiveness, the PPP program has been updated and new guidance has been issued. 

GreenCO has announced its 2021 Legislative Priorities. Key areas of focus include water, industry regulations and business practices (including workforce development and labor issues), infrastructure funding, sales and use tax, pesticide regulation, and education. Read the full list: