Safe working practices

Health and safety management

Any company installing and maintaining plants in buildings should have a health and safety management system that sets out the responsibilities, controls and safe working practices needed to maintain a safe working environment for their staff and anyone affected by their work. The key elements of such a policy should include:

• A health and safety policy statement summarising the intent of the company.

• A list of everyone's health and safety responsibilities, their competence to do their job and the arrangements in place for passing health and safety information within the company.

• A means of measuring the health and safety performance of the company along with a system for responding to active and re-active monitoring.

• Identification of all the hazards associated with the work and the means by which any risks can be avoided or reduced. This is the cornerstone of good working practice, yet the terms "hazard" and "risk" are often misunderstood.

The hazard is an innate property of the substance or task, e.g. petrol is flammable, and working at heights can lead to a fall.

The risk is the possibility that a particular hazard will cause harm or have other adverse consequences, e.g. the risk of petrol burning is very small if you keep it away from a source of ignition.   You can reduce the risk of a fall by using safety barriers and harnesses.

In general the hazard does not change but the risk can be reduced significantly by handling the hazard in a different way.  During the installation and maintenance of interior plants, three hazards in particular require assessment:

Working at heights

This is often required in major installations where there are planted balconies and ledges, something that should be borne in mind when designing a building. Key steps to take to reduce the risk include:

• Before working at heights, steps should be taken to exclude people from the area below.

• Work above two metres should be carried out from a firm, stable platform.  Interior landscapers most commonly use cherry pickers or cradles.   Ladders are generally used only for access.

• The access equipment should always be placed on a firm, level, non-slippery base.  Before raising it, checks should be made that it will not come into contact with overhead cables, pipes or similar structures.

• Personnel should be taught to move access equipment to a better position rather than over-reach, and to use fall-arrest devices whenever practicable.

Manual handling

More than a third of all over-three-day injuries reported to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities arise from manual handling.  This makes it a very important area to focus on in order to keep accident numbers down.  Whilst not a major problem in interior landscaping, care needs to be exercised when installing and moving plants.  In particular, anyone involved in such work should understand the need to:

• Have a firm grip on the load, keep it close to the body, bend the knees and keep the back straight.

• Reduce the extent of manual handling wherever possible, for example by making several journeys with parts of a load rather than trying to carry everything at once, by making full use of trolleys, lifts and other mechanical aids and by taking the safest route rather than the shortest or quickest.

• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as stout footwear and safety glasses when moving large, spiky plants.

• Avoid constant repetition of the same task, and to stop and put the load down if they start to "feel the strain".  Struggling on for those "last few yards" is never advisable.   It is better to take a few minutes rest or find assistance than to have a lifetime of back pain.

Avoiding slips, trips and falls

Across industry, about a third of all major accidents and injuries result from slips, trips and falls at ground level. Around half of these happen in wet conditions, either outside on wet surfaces due to rain or inside where a floor has become wet through cleaning or accidental spillage. Around a quarter of slips occur simply when the person doesn’t pay attention to where they are going and a slight step, or something similar, catches them unawares. The most common hazards are:

• Floors that are slippery, oily, wet, highly polished, are marble or tiled, are loose, cracked, worn or with loose mats and carpets.

• Steps, stairs and ramps.

• Dark, poorly lit and obstructed passageways.

• Trailing wires.

• Rain, snow and ice on paths and roads.

The steps to take to avoid such mishaps include:

• Cleaning up water spills, leaks or drips immediately.

• Carrying bulky items, such as plants, in a way that does not block one’s vision.

• Being careful outside in wet or icy conditions, especially if carrying a load.

• Being alert for low steps, sudden changes in level, trailing cables and other trip hazards.

• Walking, not running.

• Looking where you’re going!