Gardeners Norbury Health and Safety Policy

Gardeners Norbury is committed to providing gardening and grounds maintenance services in a way that protects the health, safety and welfare of our employees, clients, contractors, visitors and members of the public. This policy sets out our approach to managing hazards, reducing risks and promoting safe working practices in all gardening activities we undertake.

Our Health and Safety Objectives

Our primary objectives are to prevent injury, ill health, property damage and environmental harm arising from our gardening services. We aim to identify and control risks associated with garden maintenance, landscaping, use of machinery, handling of materials and work at height. We also seek to foster a culture where health and safety is an integral part of planning and delivering every job.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Gardeners Norbury will meet all relevant health and safety legislation, regulations and approved codes of practice that apply to gardening and grounds maintenance work. We will keep our procedures under regular review to reflect any changes in legal requirements or industry standards, and we will act promptly where improvements are identified.

Responsibilities and Leadership

Overall responsibility for health and safety within Gardeners Norbury rests with our management, who ensure that appropriate resources, information and supervision are provided. Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for implementing this policy on site, monitoring working practices and addressing unsafe behaviour or conditions.

Every employee and contractor has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. All team members must follow instructions, use equipment correctly, wear required personal protective equipment and report hazards or incidents without delay.

Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work

Before starting gardening work, suitable and proportionate risk assessments will be carried out to identify significant hazards such as uneven ground, sharp tools, powered machinery, chemicals, traffic movement, manual handling and adverse weather conditions. Control measures will be agreed and communicated to the team.

Safe systems of work will be developed for recurring tasks such as lawn mowing, hedge cutting, tree pruning, planting, soil preparation, waste removal and pressure washing. These systems will prioritise elimination of risks where possible, followed by substitution, engineering controls, safe working procedures and the use of personal protective equipment.

Training, Competence and Supervision

Gardeners Norbury will ensure that employees and regular contractors receive appropriate training to carry out their gardening duties safely. This includes induction training, instruction in the safe use of tools and machinery, handling of plants and materials, safe lifting techniques and awareness of local site hazards.

Specialist tasks such as the use of powered cutting equipment, chainsaws or machinery for high hedges will only be undertaken by individuals who are competent and, where required, suitably certified. Supervision will be provided to less experienced workers until their competence is clearly demonstrated.

Tools, Machinery and Equipment Safety

All gardening tools, machinery and equipment used by Gardeners Norbury will be suitable for their intended purpose, maintained in good condition and used in accordance with manufacturer instructions. Regular inspections will be carried out, and any item found to be defective will be removed from use until repaired or replaced.

Where appropriate, guards and safety devices will be fitted and must not be removed or bypassed. Fuel, oils and other maintenance products will be stored and handled safely to minimise the risk of fire, spills or contamination.

Personal Protective Equipment

Suitable personal protective equipment will be provided where remaining risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means. Depending on the task, this may include safety footwear, gloves, eye and ear protection, high visibility clothing, respiratory protection and weather-appropriate clothing.

Employees are required to wear the personal protective equipment issued to them, to look after it responsibly and to report any damage or defects so that replacements can be arranged.

Chemicals, Substances and Environmental Care

When using gardening products such as fertilisers, pesticides or cleaning agents, Gardeners Norbury will follow the relevant safety data information and control measures. Only trained and authorised personnel will handle such substances, and they will use them in the smallest effective quantities to reduce risk.

We will take care to protect local wildlife, watercourses, soil quality and neighbouring properties from contamination. Waste materials, including green waste and packaging, will be removed from site and disposed of in a responsible manner.

Manual Handling and Physical Wellbeing

Gardening often involves lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling. Gardeners Norbury will plan work to minimise heavy or awkward manual handling by using trolleys, wheelbarrows, mechanical aids and team lifting where practical.

Employees will receive guidance on good posture, safe lifting techniques and the importance of pacing work to reduce strain, fatigue and heat or cold stress. Breaks will be taken as needed, particularly during demanding or extreme weather conditions.

Working at Height and Slopes

Where gardening work involves ladders, steps, raised beds, banks or slopes, additional care will be taken to prevent falls and loss of control of equipment. Only suitable access equipment will be used, positioned on stable ground and inspected before use.

Tree work or other significant height-related activities will only be carried out by trained and competent personnel following specific safe systems of work, and may be referred to specialist contractors where necessary.

Traffic, Access and Public Safety

Gardeners Norbury recognises that many gardening tasks are carried out in residential streets, shared access ways and communal gardens. We will plan work to minimise obstruction, manage vehicle movements carefully and ensure that tools and materials do not create tripping hazards.

Where members of the public may be present, we will establish safe working zones, use warning signs or barriers where appropriate and suspend hazardous activities if people enter the immediate work area.

Incidents, Emergencies and First Aid

All accidents, near misses, injuries and dangerous occurrences involving our gardening work must be reported promptly so that appropriate action can be taken and lessons learned. Gardeners Norbury will maintain basic first aid provisions and ensure that at least one person on site is aware of how to access first aid assistance.

Emergency procedures will be considered as part of planning each job, including how to summon help quickly, communicate with clients and guide emergency services to the location if required.

Client Cooperation and Shared Responsibilities

Clients also play a part in creating a safe environment. We ask clients to inform us of any known hazards on their property, such as unstable structures, concealed cables or pipes, aggressive animals or previous contamination. Access routes should be kept as clear as possible to allow safe movement of people, tools and materials.

Where we identify hazards that fall under the client’s control, we will communicate these clearly and may request that they are addressed before or during our work. We reserve the right to postpone or modify services if significant risks cannot be adequately controlled.

Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement

Gardeners Norbury will monitor the effectiveness of this Health and Safety policy through site checks, feedback from staff and clients, review of incident reports and periodic internal audits. We are committed to continuous improvement and will update this policy and our procedures in response to new knowledge, technology and best practice in the gardening sector.

This Health and Safety policy is communicated to all employees and contractors and is available to clients upon request. It is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains relevant to the services we provide and the locations in which we operate.