Health And Safety Policy

Gardeners Peckham Health and Safety Policy

Gardeners Peckham is committed to providing gardening and grounds care services in a manner that protects the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, clients, visitors and members of the public. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety across all gardening activities, including maintenance, landscaping, planting, clearance, and related services.

We aim to prevent accidents, injuries and work-related ill health by identifying hazards, assessing risks and putting effective controls in place. Health and safety is an integral part of how we plan and deliver every job.

Policy Aims and Responsibilities

The overall aim of this policy is to ensure that all work carried out by Gardeners Peckham is completed safely and responsibly. We comply with relevant health and safety legislation and recognised industry best practice for gardening and grounds work.

Management is responsible for implementing this policy, ensuring appropriate resources are available, setting standards and monitoring performance. Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for day-to-day health and safety on site, including conducting site-specific checks, briefing team members and enforcing safe working procedures.

Every employee and contractor has a duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their work. All personnel must follow site rules, use equipment correctly, wear suitable personal protective equipment and report hazards, incidents or near misses without delay.

Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices

Before starting work, we carry out proportionate risk assessments to identify potential hazards associated with the specific gardening tasks and site conditions. These may include uneven ground, working at height on steps or small ladders, use of power tools and machinery, manual handling, weather conditions and interaction with the public.

Control measures are selected to eliminate risks where possible or reduce them to an acceptable level. These measures can include planning access routes, cordoning off work areas, using appropriate tools, specifying safe lifting techniques and rotating tasks to minimise strain. Method statements or safe systems of work are developed for higher risk activities and are communicated clearly to all team members.

Risk assessments are reviewed when site conditions change, new equipment is introduced or after any incident. Lessons learned are built into our procedures so that safety standards continually improve.

Training, Competence and Supervision

Gardeners Peckham ensures that all staff are suitably trained and competent for the tasks they carry out. Induction training covers basic health and safety responsibilities, safe use of tools and machinery, correct manual handling techniques, incident reporting, and emergency arrangements.

Additional training is provided where specialised equipment or higher risk activities are involved, such as powered hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, brush cutters, pressure washers, use of small ladders and handling of garden chemicals. Only trained and authorised staff are permitted to operate such equipment.

Work is supervised at a level appropriate to the experience of the team and the risk profile of the job. New starters and less experienced gardeners receive closer supervision until they can demonstrate safe and competent working practices.

Personal Protective Equipment and Workwear

We provide and maintain appropriate personal protective equipment, selected according to the task and site conditions. This may include safety footwear with appropriate grip and toe protection, gloves suitable for gardening, eye and face protection, hearing protection for noisy equipment, high visibility garments when working near traffic or in shared spaces, and weather-appropriate clothing to reduce risks from cold, heat or sun exposure.

Staff are required to wear PPE as instructed and to look after it properly. Defective or worn-out PPE must be reported and replaced promptly to ensure protection is not compromised.

Tools, Machinery and Vehicle Safety

All gardening tools, machinery and vehicles are chosen, maintained and used with safety as a priority. Equipment is inspected regularly and serviced in line with manufacturer recommendations. Any item found to be faulty is taken out of use until it is repaired or replaced.

Guards, safety devices and covers are never removed or bypassed. Tools are used only for their intended purpose and in accordance with training and instructions. Engines are turned off and moving parts have stopped before clearing blockages or making adjustments. Fuel and other flammable materials are stored and handled carefully to prevent spills, fires or environmental harm.

Where vehicles or trailers are used to transport staff, tools and green waste, they are loaded securely and driven responsibly, with consideration for other road users and local residents.

Manual Handling and Musculoskeletal Health

Gardening work often involves lifting, carrying and repetitive movements. To reduce the risk of injury and strain, we assess manual handling tasks and adopt safer methods wherever possible. This includes breaking down heavy loads, using trolleys or wheelbarrows, sharing loads between team members and arranging work areas to minimise unnecessary carrying or twisting.

Staff are trained in good posture, lifting techniques and the importance of taking short breaks or rotating tasks when carrying out physically demanding work. Any signs of discomfort or musculoskeletal issues are taken seriously and investigated so that adjustments can be made.

Chemical and Environmental Safety

Where garden chemicals or treatments are used, they are selected carefully and handled in line with safety data and legal requirements. We aim to minimise the use of hazardous substances and favour safer alternatives where practical. Storage, mixing, application and disposal are controlled to protect people, pets, wildlife and the wider environment.

We work to prevent pollution by managing green waste, soil and other materials responsibly. Waste is segregated where possible and removed from site to authorised facilities. Care is taken to protect nearby planting, lawns, water features and property during all stages of our work.

Public, Client and Property Protection

We recognise our responsibility to safeguard clients, neighbours, visitors and passers-by wherever we are working. Work areas are organised to reduce interaction between machinery and the public. Where necessary, we use barriers, cones or signage and agree access arrangements with clients in advance.

We take care to avoid damage to buildings, fences, vehicles, paths, utilities and other property. Any accidental damage or near miss is reported, recorded and reviewed to prevent recurrence.

Incident Reporting, Emergencies and Policy Review

All accidents, injuries, near misses and hazardous situations must be reported as soon as possible to a supervisor or manager. We keep records of incidents and investigate them to identify underlying causes and necessary improvements.

Emergency arrangements, including first aid provision and access routes for emergency services, are considered for each site. Staff know how to obtain first aid assistance, how to safely stop work in an emergency and how to evacuate the area if required.

This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed regularly and updated when there are significant changes to our operations, legislation or best practice. We communicate any revisions to our teams and encourage feedback from employees and clients to help us maintain high health and safety standards in all gardening work carried out by Gardeners Peckham.