Landscape and Horticulture Association - Landscape Juice Network
Open association for the landscape and garden for industry
Lack of basic health and safety
I'm often amazed by the amount of even plausible companies who I see working with a total disregard for personal health and safety.
On a job this morning I watched in amazement whilst the properties regular gardener strimmed brambles without any eye or hearing protection........ I must admit I was tempted to say something but decided that being as he seemed to be stopping every 30 seconds to clear bits from his eye yet still wasn't wearing anythng he was probably beyond help!!!
Shocking to be so ignorant not to use a £45 forestry helmet or £10 worth of ear defenders and goggles.
On a job this morning I watched in amazement whilst the properties regular gardener strimmed brambles without any eye or hearing protection........ I must admit I was tempted to say something but decided that being as he seemed to be stopping every 30 seconds to clear bits from his eye yet still wasn't wearing anythng he was probably beyond help!!!
Shocking to be so ignorant not to use a £45 forestry helmet or £10 worth of ear defenders and goggles.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on -
It's all fine until something happens. People get too complacent and have been trained in the era before now when H&S was not brought to the forefront of their attention. Therefore they do not even consider things such as vibration, heavy lifting and eye damage when carrying out traditional jobs such as gardening.
It doesn't pay to be like that though as we all know. What to do if you see someone working in a poor fashion though? Usually I say nothing, or perhaps say to their client to be aware that there is a risk of something happening. If it's serious then perhaps I'd step in an just mention, but it's not my business to tell them how to work.
You shouldn't end a day's work feeling battered...PPE really does a great job for not much dosh!
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Permalink Reply by Gardens4u.co.uk on -
free goggles or £2 !!
i saw a 'young boy' about 15max up about 20ft ladders ,removing ivy.....-no-one holding ladders and no-one watching !!!!!!!!!!! coulnt believe it . reminded me of H&S basics !! i was going to tell someone off.
to save - £100 could have cost his son? broken legs/arms and skull fractures ?
this is such an important issue paul- any safety is better than none. :-(
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Permalink Reply by Paul @ Ashgate Garden Care on -
This is something that is quite an emotive subject for me as I never skimp on H & S and am very risk averse to the extent that I have turned down jobs on this basis.
I always amazes me that power tools used in a domestic situation are not covered by H & S PPE requirements and their seems a complete lack of education on the subject.
The guys using push mowers at our local council hardly ever use ear defenders which is crazy as you hearing can start to deteriorate after a matter of seconds without the correct protection.
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Permalink Reply by NMGS on -
H&S is critical and can be applied in more than one direction. PPE should only be used as a last resort once all other risks or methods have been eliminated.
Full risk assessments should always be undertaken for every task and appropriate PPE selected.
However, the at the local tip (council run) where we off load our green waste we have been banned from wearing shorts on site on the grounds of Health and Safety. That's despite wearing steel-toes with steel midsoles and hi-vis jackets! Has the world gone mad???
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Permalink Reply by Graeme @ BGS on -
Strange as our local council tip states full PPE (including hard hat) and when I queried why one chap wasn't wearing a hat I was told that that particular rule didn't apply to tradespeople!
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Permalink Reply by Peter Davis on -
You should spend a holiday here & watch the workers. I have only ever once seen a tree surgeon in chainsaw trousers & I have even seen them up a tree without a helmet !. The builders are even worse. Picture the scene, a supermarket carpark full of cars & builders renovating the building. They lift a pallet load of facing stone using a Maniscopic & the pallet breaks. Six damaged cars & a load of terrified shoppers.
I used to get comments in the UK about me wearing a cricketers arm guard when strimming in short sleeves. When I show them the scar where a stone buried itself in my forearm to the bone they know why I wear it.
I can remember seeing students in the summer where they have been dropped off with a strimmer & fuel. No goggles & shorts !.
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