3rd Edition
Safety Safety Guide
±
Prepared by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Groundskeepers Safety Guide
Objectives
This is your guide to safe groundskeeping and landscaping work. It will help you to: recognize workplace hazards; prevent accident and injury; follow safe work practices; select and use proper personal protective equipment (PPE); understand your duties and rights as given in the occupational health and safety legislation; and contact government departments to find health and safety related information.
Scope
This Guide is for groundskeepers and landscapers as well as golf course employees, facility management persons, cemetery workers, park and recreation employees and other workers whose responsibilities includes groundskeeping work. It provides safe work practices for performing a wide range of tasks. The Guide will assist in the development and implementation of workplace health and safety programs. In employee training sessions, the Guide is a practical handout.
Target Audience
This guide is for everyone who performs, supervises or plans work in the groundskeeping, landscaping, gardening or nursery industries. It is a handy companion for workers, supervisors, managers, occupational health nurses and health and safety committee members.
Summary
Groundskeeping involves a wide range of tasks. Many of these tasks can cause bodily injuries or illnesses. You can prevent such injuries and illnesses by following safe work practices and by using proper protective equipment. Examples of some injuries and illnesses are: cuts, amputations from the use of chain saws, tillers, and gardening tools bruises and abrasions from plants and trees burns from hot engines or motors of powered equipment and vehicles electric shock or electrocution from contact with live electrical parts or electric powerlines slips and falls from working in wet and/or cluttered areas soreness and pain in hands, wrists, shoulders or back as a result of doing repetitive work, working in an awkward posture, applying too much force over and over again, operating vibrating equipment or lifting heavy loads improperly itching, swelling, redness of the skin as a result of exposure to very hot or very cold weather, contact with chemicals such as cleaning solutions, fertilizers, pesticides, or contact with plants and animals illness as a result of prolonged exposure to chemicals and pesticides, or contact with objects contaminated with infectious materials such as needles and biological waste, dead animals and animal droppings allergies as a result of inhalation of dusts, contact with plants and animals, insect bites and stings This Guide provides safe work methods to prevent these injuries and illnesses.
Table of Contents
Section I Basic Rules of Safety 1. The Law Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Elements of On-The-Job Safety . . . . . . . . . 2 3. Safety Tips for New Employees . . . . . . . . . 3 4. Safety Tips for Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Maintaining a High Standard of Safety 1. Safety Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2. Accident Investigation and Reporting . . . . . 9 3. First Aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Landscaping 1. General Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2. Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3. Shovelling and Digging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 4. Manual Materials Handling . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5. Garden Tractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 6. Power Lawn Mowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 7. Riding Lawn Mowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 8. Grass Trimmers and Brush Cutters . . . . . . 26 9. Compact Loaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 10. Snow Throwers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 11. Machinery Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 12. Tree Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 13. Pesticides—Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 14. Pesticides—Personal Protective Equipment . . 39 15. Truck Start-Up—"The Circle Check" . . . . 42 16. Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 17. Infectious Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Personal Protective Equipment 1. PPE Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 2. Safety Glasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 3. Safety Footwear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 4. Hard Hats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 5. Hearing Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Section II
Section III
Section IV
Section V
Electrical Safety 1. Basic Electrical Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 2. Electric Power Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Chain Saws 1. Safe Use of Chain Saws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 2. Kickback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 3. Basic Chain Saw Operations . . . . . . . . . . . 68 4. Maintenance and Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 5. Handling, Transportation and Storage . . . . 72 6. Personal Protective Equipment . . . . . . . . . 73 Safety Guidelines for the Work Environment 1. Chemical Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 2. Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 3. Fire Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 4. Substances from Trees and Plants . . . . . . . 78 5. Vibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 6. Ultraviolet Radiation (UV) . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 7. Working in Hot Environments . . . . . . . . . 82 8. Bites and Stings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 9. Hantavirus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 10. Mites, Chiggers and Ticks . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 11. Working in Cold Environments . . . . . . . . . 89
Section VI
Section VII
Section VIII Occupational Health and Safety Legislation 1. Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 2. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 3. US Occupational Safety and Health Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Section IX Where to Go for More Information 1. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 2. Canadian Governmental Departments with Chief Responsibility for Occupational Health and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 3. US Federal Safety and Health Agencies . 103
6. Power Lawn Mowers
READ and follow manufacturer’s operating manual. KNOW the controls and how to stop the machine quickly. INSPECT the mower prior to starting. Make certain that the blade is sharp and secure. ENSURE that shields and other guards, such as rear drag shield and discharge deflector, are in place and working properly. WEAR non-slip safety toe footwear and hearing protection. KEEP people away from the work area. Mower can hurl objects in any direction. CLEAR the work area of rocks, bottles and debris that might be thrown by the blades. KEEP hands away from the blades. WATCH for hidden hazards such as holes, roots, drain pipes and insect nests. PROCEED slowly into tall, heavy grass to avoid choking the mower or stalling the motor. SET mower at the highest cutting level when operating on rough ground. USE caution around low hanging branches and shrubs. REPLACE thin or worn blades. ENSURE blade stopping controls are effective. Adjust as necessary. OPERATE mower standing up, not bent over. EXPOSE the underside of a mower for maintenance, after shutting off, by tipping it by the handle.
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MOW across slopes. Your feet are less likely to slide under the mower. Also the mower cannot roll back.
DO NOT REACH under machine. Disconnect the spark plug wire before sharpening, replacing and cleaning. DO NOT TOUCH hot motor parts. DO NOT SPRAY cold water on a hot engine. DO NOT MAKE wheel height adjustments while the motor is running. DO NOT LEAVE blades rotating when crossing gravelled area. DO NOT LEAVE a running mower unattended. DO NOT REMOVE grass catcher or unclog chute with motor running. DO NOT MOW when surfaces are too slippery for you or the mower. DO NOT REFUEL the mower while the engine is running.
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Publications
in this series
Groundskeepers Safety Guide for groundskeepers, landscape contractors and nursery workers Cold Weather Workers Safety Guide addresses the h&s information needs of the outdoor worker School Workers Health and Safety Guide for teachers, custodians, school administrators and school board officials Office Ergonomics Safety Guide helps office workers to recognize ergonomic hazards and take remedial action Food Service Workers Safety Guide covering all safety aspects of the food preparation and service industries Warehouse Workers Safety Guide for workers in warehouses, storage facilities, bulk stores and the transport industry Indoor Air Quality Health and Safety Guide addresses concerns about indoor air quality, and explains everything building occupants need to know about ensuring their health and comfort Violence in the Workplace Prevention Guide an essential resource for anyone who wants to learn about workplace violence and its prevention Welders Health and Safety Guide helps workers recognize hazards associated with welding work and to prevent injury and illness Health and Safety Committees Reference Guide provides practical guidance for the formation and effective functioning of health and safety committees. Noise Control in Industry: A Basic Guide helps workers and employers recognize noise problems, take steps to control occupational noise exposure and develop a hearing conservation program.
For more information about these titles (905) 570-8094 or 1-800-668-4284 Fax: (905) 572-2206 E-Mail: clientservices@ccohs.ca Web Site: http://www.ccohs.ca