Health And Safety Policy

Health and Safety Policy for Gardeners New Malden

Gardeners New Malden is committed to providing gardening and grounds maintenance services in a way that safeguards the health, safety, and welfare of our clients, employees, contractors, visitors, and members of the public. This Health and Safety Policy sets out our approach to managing risks, promoting safe working practices, and continually improving our standards.

Our Commitment to Health and Safety

We recognise that gardening and landscaping activities can involve physical work, machinery, chemicals, and changing outdoor conditions. We therefore commit to planning and delivering our services so that risks are identified, controlled, and kept as low as reasonably practicable. Everyone representing Gardeners New Malden must follow this policy and any associated procedures or site rules.

Management Responsibilities

Management at Gardeners New Malden is responsible for establishing, implementing, and reviewing this policy. This includes allocating appropriate resources, ensuring that risk assessments are carried out, and that safe systems of work are developed and maintained. Managers will provide information, instruction, and supervision so that all team members understand their responsibilities and can work safely at all times.

We routinely review our methods in light of new equipment, changes in legislation, feedback from staff and clients, and any incidents or near misses. Where improvements are identified, they are implemented as soon as reasonably practicable.

Employee Responsibilities

Every gardener, maintenance worker, and contractor working on behalf of Gardeners New Malden has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. Employees must follow training and instructions, use equipment correctly, wear appropriate personal protective equipment, and report hazards, defects, incidents, or near misses without delay.

All staff are expected to cooperate fully with this policy, with agreed risk control measures, and with any site-specific rules agreed with clients or property managers.

Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices

We carry out proportionate risk assessments for our gardening and grounds maintenance tasks. These assessments consider hazards such as manual handling, use of tools and machinery, slips and trips, working at height, noise and vibration, chemicals and fuels, traffic movement, and environmental conditions including weather.

Based on these assessments, we establish safe working procedures, including guidance on equipment use, route planning around gardens, safe storage of tools and materials, and the segregation of work areas from clients, children, pets, and the public where necessary. Staff are instructed to adapt their work to site-specific conditions, such as uneven ground, low branches, or restricted access, and to stop work if conditions become unsafe.

Use of Tools, Machinery, and Vehicles

We ensure that tools and machinery used in gardening and landscaping are suitable for the task, well maintained, and inspected regularly. Only trained and authorised personnel are permitted to operate powered equipment, including mowers, trimmers, blowers, hedge cutters, chainsaws, and any mechanical lifting or access equipment.

Guards, safety devices, and manufacturer instructions must never be bypassed or ignored. Refuelling of petrol powered equipment is carried out safely in well ventilated areas, away from sources of ignition. Where vehicles or trailers are used to transport staff, equipment, or waste, drivers must hold the appropriate licence and follow safe loading and driving practices.

Chemical and Environmental Safety

Where garden treatments, fertilisers, or other substances are used, we follow product instructions, safety data sheets, and relevant regulations. Chemicals are stored securely and used in the smallest quantity necessary for effective results. Staff are trained in the safe preparation, application, and disposal of such products, and in the protection of watercourses, wildlife, and planting.

Care is taken to avoid unnecessary disturbance to neighbours and the wider community, including managing noise, dust, green waste, and traffic associated with our work.

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment is provided where risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means. This may include protective footwear, gloves, eye and ear protection, high visibility clothing, and respiratory protection where appropriate.

Employees are responsible for wearing PPE as instructed, checking it before use, reporting damage or loss, and ensuring that it is stored and maintained correctly.

Training, Competence, and Supervision

We ensure that all staff receive appropriate induction and ongoing training relevant to their roles. This may cover manual handling techniques, safe operation of specific tools and machinery, working at height, handling of chemicals, emergency procedures, and customer care.

Less experienced staff are supervised by competent persons until they are assessed as capable of working safely on their own. Refresher training is provided when required, for example when new equipment is introduced or when procedures change.

Client and Public Safety

We take reasonable steps to ensure that our work does not put clients, visitors, neighbours, or members of the public at risk. Work areas are planned to minimise access by others, with equipment and materials kept tidy and under control. Where appropriate, we use warning signs or temporary barriers to mark hazardous areas.

We aim to schedule particularly noisy, dusty, or disruptive tasks at times agreed with clients, and to inform them in advance about any significant hazards or restrictions that may affect them during the work.

Incident Reporting and Emergency Procedures

All accidents, injuries, near misses, and dangerous occurrences must be reported promptly so that they can be recorded, investigated, and used to improve our controls. First aid provisions are made available to staff, and team members are aware of how to obtain assistance in an emergency.

In the event of serious incidents, staff are instructed to prioritise safety, call the emergency services if required, and secure the area to prevent further harm.

Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Gardeners New Malden monitors health and safety performance through regular checks on working practices, equipment condition, incident reports, and feedback from staff and clients. Where shortcomings are identified, corrective actions are taken and communicated to those affected.

This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed periodically, and whenever there are significant changes in our operations, to ensure that it remains suitable, effective, and aligned with current legal requirements and best practice in the gardening and grounds maintenance sector.

By working together and following this policy, Gardeners New Malden aims to provide a professional, reliable, and safe gardening service for everyone involved.