Health and safety in horticulture Pack 1 Managing health and safety Pack Code: HHS1 This pack you will help you to: Explain how managing health and safety affects your work www.lbcnc.org.uk Describe your responsibilities for health and safety
About this pack Objectives When you have completed this pack you will have considered some of the key issues in managing health and safety in horticulture. The pack will help you to: explain how managing health and safety affects your work describe your responsibilities for health and safety. This pack is also relevant to several Level 3 units including: Undertake Estate Skills, Outcome 4: Be able to carry out practical habitat management work Undertake and Review Work Related Experience in Land-based Industries, Outcome 3: Be able to undertake a work-based experience in the environmental and land-based industry Undertaking Land-based Machinery Operations, Outcome 1: Understand the purpose and operation of land-based machinery Undertake Horticultural Production Techniques Outdoors, Outcome 3: Be able to manage outdoor horticultural crops Links to other packs This is one in a series of learning packs, each tackling an important aspect of health and safety in horticulture. They are: Managing health and safety Risk assessment Accidents in horticulture COSHH in horticulture Manual handling in horticulture Using pesticides safely Each pack contains several activities which ask you to think the topic through or to apply it to a nursery or garden centre you know of. In some cases you may be able to work on these activities with other people in your group. Health and safety in horticulture 2
Why managing health and safety is important Between April 1999 and March 2009 436 people were killed and many thousands injured or made ill while working in farming and horticulture. Everyone involved in the industry employers, employees and other people in the rural community including children may be at risk. For every accident there are many near misses occasions where someone narrowly escapes injury, but when machinery, buildings or equipment may be damaged. Of course, health and safety is important to protect people from real harm but it also has an important impact on the profitability and sustainability of a business. The cost of poor health and safety Every accident or health and safety incident costs a lot both hard cash and personal suffering. This short activity asks you to list some of the possible costs. Activity A worker in a nursery is injured by a piece of machinery and misses two weeks of work at a busy time. In what ways might this accident cost the nursery money? How might the accident affect the people involved? Check your answers with those at the end of the pack. Health and safety in horticulture 3
The impact on performance All this means that health and safety affects business performance. Good health and safety management is an integral part of good business management. Controlling danger at work is no different from any other task you need to recognise problems, know enough about them, decide what to do and act on the solutions. It s not just highly unusual or exceptional circumstances that cause accidents or ill health. Some basic thinking and acting beforehand could usually prevent them. Activity Health and safety doesn t have to be expensive, time consuming or complicated. Safer, more efficient working practices can often save time and money. Work-related injuries and ill health This activity asks you to identify the common injuries and ill health conditions associated with working in horticulture. Begin by identifying any health and safety problems that are associated with horticulture. Then try to identify possible causes for each problem. If possible, work with someone else or in a small group. Spend some time coming up with ideas. Everyone should suggest as many health and safety problems as they can think of. Don t forget the causes of ill health. If not, spend some time yourself thinking through the issues. Common injuries and ill health Possible causes Check your answers with those at the end of the pack. Health and safety in horticulture 4
Taking responsibility Everyone has a role to play in making the nursery or garden centre a safe and healthy place to work. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 makes some of these responsibilities a legal requirement. Health and safety law applies to all businesses however small. It covers employees, full - or part-time, casual, temporary or permanent; the self-employed; young people doing work experience; apprentices; charity workers; mobile workers such as contractors and home workers. Your health, safety and welfare at work are protected by law. Your employer has a duty to protect you and keep you informed about health and safety. You have a responsibility to look after yourself and others. Employers Employers have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their employees and other people who might be affected by what they do. In particular, they should: provide and maintain safe systems of work ensure the safe use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances provide adequate instruction, training and supervision maintain safe premises and other places of work provide a safe working environment and adequate welfare facilities have a policy for managing health and safety the health and safety policy statement display information about health and safety law carry out risk assessments ensure that workplace and health and safety risks are controlled. Employees responsibilities Employees also have a responsibility for health and safety. The Act says that they should: take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be put at risk by what they do or by what they fail to do at work, such as failing to report damage to a machine guard co-operate with their employer in meeting legal requirements use protective clothing or equipment that is provided, and not misuse any item provided for health and safety. Health and safety in horticulture 5
What about the self-employed? Activity Self-employed workers also have health and safety responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act. They must assess the risks to their own health and safety at work, and the risks to the health and safety of other people they work with. This activity asks you to give examples of ways in which employers and employees in horticulture can influence health and safety. You may be able to do this activity on the basis of your own experience. However, you may prefer to talk to someone about it or to do some reading or research. For a nursery or garden centre that you know: Suggest five things that the owner or manager can do to influence health and safety: Suggest five things that workers can do to influence health and safety: In which ways may people s attitudes influence health and safety? In which ways might the general atmosphere and way or working influence health and safety? Check your answers with those at the end of the pack. Health and safety in horticulture 6
The legal framework The Health and Safety at Work Act provides the basic framework for health and safety law in the UK. Within this framework there are more detailed laws known as regulations that state how the Act should be applied in particular cases. Regulations that apply to in horticulture include: For machinery safety The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) see pack HHS2. Preventing exposure to harmful substances The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) see pack HHS4. To carry out risk assessment The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 see pack HHS2. Sometimes the law does not spell out exactly what measures must be taken, and a number of approved codes of practice support the regulations. These codes have a special legal status in court (a bit like The Highway Code) by complying with them you should normally meet the requirements of the regulations. Codes of practice that apply in horticulture cover the following topics: Rider operated lift trucks (fork lift trucks and telescopic handlers) Pesticides and plant protection products Work equipment (includes chainsaws and other powered or non powered equipment) Child safety Safe use of lifting equipment First aid Work in confined spaces HSE also produces guidance to help people comply with the law. Health and Safety Policy Statement Employers with five or more employees must prepare a written statement of their general policy, organisation and arrangements for the health and safety at work of their employees. The policy sets out the arrangements for managing health and safety. Health and safety in horticulture 7
The Health and Safety (Information for Employees) Regulations 1989 All employers are required to display an official poster approved by HSE (or provide the same information to staff in pocket card form). If a poster is displayed it must be in a prominent place where it can be easily seen. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Under these Regulations an employer must carry out a risk assessment to help them identify the measures they need to take to ensure the health and safety of their staff and others who may be affected by their work activities, inform staff about the findings of the assessment and provide appropriate training. For more information, see Pack HHS2: Risk assessment. Enforcing the law Health and safety law is enforced by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors or local authority environmental health officers who may visit the nursery or garden centre and check that it meets the legal requirements. Employees can contact the HSE or the local authority or speak to an inspector if they are concerned about any aspect of health and safety. If the inspector visits a nursery or garden centre and is not satisfied he or she can take action to put things right. The inspector might instruct the employer to make improvements, issuing what is called an improvement notice. If the situation is serious he or she can order the employer to stop doing something for example to stop using a piece of unsafe equipment until it is properly guarded by issuing a prohibition notice. In extreme cases the inspector can prosecute the employer. However, in most cases, an inspector will give advice, and might write a follow-up letter confirming what action the employer should take. Health and safety in horticulture 8
Answers to activities Activity on Page 3 The costs of the accident to the nursery may include: vital time lost at a crucial time of year which may mean lost production the cost of finding, training and paying a replacement person costs of repairing or replacing damaged equipment compensation higher insurance premiums prosecution costs. Above all, the accident will mean suffering for the individual and their family and stress for other people in the nursery. There could also be important knock-on effects. The accident could mean bad publicity for the nursery. If production is affected, customers may look elsewhere. In addition, if the accident leads to certain types of injury or disease, the employer would need to report it to the Health and Safety Executive. Activity on Page 4 It s likely that your ideas may have included some of the following: injuries caused by contact with dangerous parts of machinery such as mowers, rotavators, cultivators, compost mixers, etc. injuries caused by contact with vehicles in the workplace, such as tractors, fork lift trucks, delivery vehicles, etc. contact with electricity eg overhead power lines or faulty wiring health problems resulting from working with pesticides and other chemicals health problems resulting from breathing in dust or spores injuries resulting from lifting and handling eg bags of compost or plants injuries caused by slips, trips and falls, etc. There are many other possible hazards and your list may be much longer. Bear in mind especially that some health risks especially from chemicals are hidden. They may be less obvious and exposure to them may create health problems in the future. Health and safety in horticulture 9
Activity on Page 6 There are many ways in which people can help to create a safe and healthy working environment. Some of the key things include: being aware of own health and safety and that of others setting a good example at all times following instructions and policies for safe ways of working avoiding dangerous short cuts and unnecessary risks cooperating and communicating with others noticing and reporting problems asking for information and training. Safe behaviour in the workplace will reduce the likelihood of an accident or ill health occurring. It will also help us all meet our legal responsibilities. There are many things that we can all do in our daily work in the nursery or garden centre, for example, when using equipment: checking/inspecting equipment before use using work equipment safely and reporting defects and deficiencies only operating equipment for tasks you are authorized and trained to do being careful at all times and not interfering with safety devices At the same time it is important to recognise when things are wrong in other words, identifying those behaviours that are unsafe and not becoming complacent or slipping into bad habits. For example: not following employer s instructions or a safe systems of work not operating machines or work equipment safely not maintaining machines or work equipment properly exceeding personal capacity in manual handling tasks working without considering the health or safety of others defeating or interfering with safety devices using equipment or performing tasks without being authorised, trained or competent not wearing PPE when instructed to do so foolish behaviour or horseplay that puts people at risk. Health and safety in horticulture 10
Resources and further reading You will find a number of HSE publications dealing with this subject including: Health and safety made simple INDG449 (2011) Managing health and safety: five steps to success INDG275 (2008) Farmwise Your essential guide to health and safety in agriculture HSG270 (2009) There is also an online Health and safety toolbox at: www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/index.htm. You can download copies from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk. Some publications are also available for purchase by post or telephone from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS Tel 01787 881165. Health and safety in horticulture 11
Knowledge quiz 1 Suggest four costs that a horticultural business may incur following an accident in the workplace? a) b) c) d) 2 List four responsibilities of employers under the Health and Safety at Work Act. a) b) c) d) 3 List two responsibilities of employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act. a) b) 4 Which organisations enforce health and safety law in horticulture? a) b) 5 Name three sets of health and safety regulations that apply to horticulture: a) b) c) Health and safety in horticulture 12
Acknowledgements This learning pack has been produced by the Land Based Colleges National Consortium Ltd. The LBCNC is a consortium of colleges working in the land-based sector which cooperate in the development and production of quality flexible learning materials which encourage independent learning. We would like to acknowledge the contributions made by the following individuals and colleges in the development of this learning pack. Initial source material and guidance Sandy Wilson, Sparsholt College Critical review and comment (original edition) Gerald Anderson, Easton College Paul Dickenson, Myerscough College Ian Sanday, Rodbaston College Adam Scotchmer, Hartbury College Sandy Wilson, Sparsholt College Toni Davis, Brooksby College Piloting and field testing (original edition) Thanks are also due to staff and students at the following colleges who piloted this learning pack and influenced the material through their feedback Bishop Burton College Brinsbury College Houghall College Further revisions (2010 edition) Alastair Mitchell, HSE Photographs: Steve Watson, Riseholme College Developed and produced for LBCNC by Learners First Revised in May 2013 2013 The Land Based Colleges National Consortium Ltd. All rights reserved. Permission to photocopy or adapt the material in this learning pack is granted to members of the Land Based Colleges National Consortium Ltd. only. For further information please contact the LBCNC project management team at 7 Tyne Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8EE. Tel 0117 942 3504 Health and safety in horticulture 13