Health and Safety in Golf Course Management and Maintenance

Transcription

1 GTC is supported by: Health ad Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace AUTHORS JON ALLBUTT, JOHN DAVIS. Developed i associatio with:

2 Cotets Sectio Title Chapter Page umber INTRODUCTION About this guide MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE 2.0. THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK SECTION 3.0. MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT SECTION 4.0. WORKING AT HEIGHT SECTION 5.0. MANUAL HANDLING SECTION 6.0. HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES SECTION 7.0. WORKING IN CONFINED SPACES SECTION 8.0. WORKING ALONE Golf idustry priorities 4 Eforcemet of health ad safety law What to expect whe a health ad safety ispector calls Idetifyig the employer the role of the proprietor; club committee Roles ad resposibilities - committees, members ad employees Cosultig employees Dealig with accidets, icidets ad ijuries: providig a first aid service for employees ad golfers The risk assessmet how to do it Employig ad traiig staff Employig voluteers ad casual part-time staff Employig childre ad youg persos Employig cotractors ad maagig cotracted works Workig i the field of play The golf course safety ispectio Golf touramets ad crowd cotrol Access to the golf course the public, walkig golfers, users of trolleys ad golf carts (buggies) 2.5. Esurig adequate provisio for staff welfare: Appedix to sectio 3.0 Priority o the golf course Appedix to sectio 3.0 A golf course safety ispectio checklist - example 3.1. Itroductio to golf course machiery ad equipmet Workshops ad maiteace facilities Hadlig ad storage of fuel ad oil Noise Vibratio Workig o slopes usig ride-o, self propelled, ad pedestria operated work equipmet Tractors ad power take off (PTO) equipmet Mowers Workig i, o or ear water The use of persoal protective equipmet (PPE) Electricity ad usig electrical equipmet The cotrol of substaces hazardous to health (COSHH) Usig plat protectio products (pesticides) Maagig asbestos l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

3 Foreword About this Guide Peter Dawso, Chief Executive, The R&A. I am very pleased to write this Foreword to the revised Guide, Health ad Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace. The R&A, through its support for the Greekeepers Traiig Committee, was istrumetal i promotig the co-operative veture with the Health ad Safety Executive to produce the origial editio i The success of the origial Guide is uquestioed maily due to its active promotio throughout the idustry by the GTC ad others. The icrease i the popularity of golf has put pressure o maagers ad staff to preset our golf courses to eve higher stadards i spite of greatly icreased play. Golf clubs are aware of the eed to avoid slowig play ad puttig staff at risk from beig ijured by golf balls, as well as the ever-preset wide rage of hazards arisig durig work activities. It is commedable that may clubs, through their skilled professioal staff, have maaged to achieve these high stadards through appropriate traiig ad by raisig the awareess of all ivolved i maagig ad usig club facilities. Foreword by: Jae Willis, Strategic Programme Director, Public Service Agreemet Delivery Health ad Safety Executive The Health ad Safety Executive welcomes this guidace, which replaces HSE s well-received publicatio Health ad Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace (HSG79). Icreasigly HSE is workig i partership with others to produce guidace that outlies sesible health ad safety precautios. I cogratulate the Greekeepers Traiig Committee for takig the iitiative to update the origial guidace o behalf of the golf idustry ad to tailor it to their particular eeds. It icludes relevat legislatio ad guidace itroduced sice HSE first published HSG79 i 1994 ad this updated guidace will help those ivolved i maagig ad maitaiig golf courses to protect their employees, club members, visitors ad others from risks to their health ad safety. It is also relevat to others ivolved i the ameity, sports turf ad groudcare sector. Followig this practical guidace will help to reduce ijuries ad ill health caused by work activities. I 2004, The R&A revised the Etiquette sectio i the Rules of Golf to give greater protectio for both golfers ad greekeepers. It is importat that golf clubs esure that their local rules reflect these chages ad brig them to the attetio of golfers ad staff alike. Ackowledgemets Throughout the project we have received advice ad support from may idividuals ad orgaisatios i our idustry. The project has bee co-ordiated by Mr Jo Allbutt whose expertise ad that of his colleague Mr Joh Davis is truly appreciated by the GTC. We are particularly grateful to Ala Plom, Toy Mitchell (HSE) ad Graham Robertso (Aberdeeshire Coucil) for their patiece, their careful readig of the may drafts, ad i particular their techical advice o health ad safety matters; the members of the GTC Techical Committee ad the GTC Board for their support. We would also like to thak Royal Lytham ad St. Aes Golf Club (frot cover); the maagers ad staff at The Grove Hotel; Northwood Golf Club, Pedham Place Golf Club, The Wisley Gardes (RHS); Dale Hill Hotel ad Golf Club (illustratio page 10)for permittig us to take photographs of workig situatios; ad also New Hollad for providig photographs of their equipmet. The project has bee fuded by the GTC: David Goldig Educatio Director, The Greekeepers Traiig Committee November 2007 Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 3

4 Golf idustry priorities Golf is uique i sport, i that the greekeeper remais i the field of play durig the game. The traditios of maagig a golf course esure that the greekeeper carries out essetial daily preparatio work as early as possible so as ot to iterfere with play. With the itroductio of the Health ad Safety at Work Act (HSWA) i 1974 these traditios cotiued but with a greater awareess of the eed to reduce the risks of ijury to the greekeeper maily from beig hit by golf balls. The golfer must also be protected from risks of ijury from maiteace activities a statutory duty uder Sectio 3 of HSWA. However there will be a umber of maiteace, ad costructio, activities that must cotiue to be carried out durig the workig, ad golfig, day. The challege to maitai high stadards o our golf courses, whilst workig i a icreasigly busy field of play, ot to iterrupt the flow of golf, ad protect both greekeepers ad golfers, must be a priority for staff, maagers ad employers. This guide cotais details of how a safety maagemet system ca achieve this with iput from the Health ad Safety Executive ad idustry experts. I 2000 the Govermet set atioal targets to reduce accidets, ill health ad work days lost. These are equally relevat to the golfig idustry. Ay accidet or case of ill health, apart from causig pai ad sufferig to the idividual cocered, affects the ruig of ay busiess ad ultimately its profitability. All those resposible for the ruig of a golf course would be wise to cosider this guide carefully as a itegral part of maagig their busiess safely. Golf has a excellet safety record with few fatal or serious accidets beig reported. However i order to maitai high stadards we are usig icreasigly complex machiery, more frequetly, o what ca be hazardous terrai, sometimes i difficult groud coditios. It is here that the greekeeper is at greatest risk of serious ijury; prevetig this must be our highest priority. We must therefore maitai high levels of traiig from iductio of ew employees right throughout their workig lives to esure they acquire ad maitai high levels of competecy. Eforcemet of health ad safety law What to expect whe a health ad safety ispector calls Who eforces health ad safety law? Health ad safety law is eforced by ispectors from the Health ad Safety Executive (HSE) or by ispectors from your local authority Evirometal Health Departmet. Private members ad proprietary golf clubs will be ispected by your local authority; however HSE would ispect those golf courses maaged directly by a local authority. Health ad safety ispectors have the right to eter ay workplace, at ay reasoable time, without givig otice, though otice may be give where the ispector thiks it is appropriate. O a ormal ispectio visit a ispector would expect to look at the workplace, the work activities, your maagemet of health ad safety, ad to check that you are complyig with health ad safety law. The ispector may offer guidace or advice to help you. He/she may also talk to employees ad their represetatives, take photographs ad samples, serve improvemet otices ad take actio if there is a risk to health ad safety which eeds to be dealt with immediately. Your local ispector is more likely to pay more frequet visits to the golf club i respose to complaits or where there is evidece of poor health ad safety maagemet. This might be reflected by the lack of a up to date Statemet of Safety Policy ad clearly outlied resposibilities ad arragemets for maagig health ad safety; iadequate or o existet risk assessmets; poor facilities; ad i particular if the site has a poor safety record. Eforcig health ad safety law Ispectors may take eforcemet actio i several ways to deal with a breach of the law. I most cases these are: Iformal Where the breach of the law is relatively mior, the ispector may tell the duty holder, for example the employer or cotractor, what to do to comply with the law, ad explai why. The ispector will usually write to cofirm ay advice, ad will distiguish legal requiremets from best practice advice. Improvemet otice Where the breach of the law is more serious, the ispector may issue a improvemet otice to istruct the duty holder to udertake improvemets to comply with the law. The ispector will discuss the improvemet otice ad, if possible, resolve poits of differece before servig it. The otice will detail what eeds to be doe, why, ad by whe. The time period withi which to take the remedial actio will be at least 21 days, to allow the duty holder time to appeal to a Idustrial Tribual if they so wish (see Appeals ). The ispector ca take further legal actio if the otice is ot complied with withi the specified time period. Prohibitio otice Where a activity ivolves, or will ivolve, a risk of serious persoal ijury, the ispector may serve a prohibitio otice prohibitig the activity immediately or after a specified time period, ad ot allowig it to be resumed util remedial actio has bee take. The otice will explai why the actio is ecessary. The duty holder will be told i writig about the right of appeal to a Idustrial Tribual (see Appeals ). Prosecutio I some cases the ispector may cosider that it is also ecessary to iitiate a prosecutio. Health ad safety law gives the courts 4 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

5 cosiderable scope for puishig offeders ad deterrig others. For example, a failure to comply with a improvemet or prohibitio otice, or a court remedy order, carries a fie of up to 20, 000, or six moths imprisomet, or both. Ulimited fies ad i some cases imprisomet may be imposed by higher courts. Appeals A duty holder will be told i writig about the right of appeal to a Idustrial Tribual whe a improvemet or prohibitio otice is served. The appeal mechaism is also explaied o the reverse of the otice. The duty holder will be told: how to appeal, ad give a form with which to appeal; where ad withi what period a appeal may be brought; ad that the remedial actio required by a improvemet otice is suspeded while a appeal is pedig. The work activity that is subject to a improvemet otice ca ormally be permitted to cotiue durig the appeal; however a work activity that is subject to a prohibitio otice must cease durig the appeal. Iformatio to employees The ispector may wish to speak to employees regardig his/her ispectio ad/or their decisio to issue eforcemet actio. The ispector may also wat to esure that the employer has adequate arragemets for cosultig with employees ad is able to provide the details of correspodece ad/or eforcemet otices. This iformatio should be displayed o staff otice boards at the place of work e.g. a otice board i the greekeepers rest room. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 5

6 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE Chapter 1.1 Idetifyig the employer the role of the proprietor, club committee, or board of directors Achievig a healthy ad safe workplace at a golf club is the resposibility of all from directors through a maagemet team dow to all the employees icludig part-time ad voluteers. I a golf club there ca be differeces i owership ad the maagemet structure; it is importat that legal duties ad resposibilities are clearly idetified. A proprietary golf club should have a clearly idetifiable ower/ director who is resposible for health ad safety; or if it is part of a leisure group there should be a clear structure that shows the chai of commad where idividuals roles ad resposibilities are defied. The situatio ca be less clear i a members golf club where the employer role may be shared betwee a group of committees each with its ow separate members ad chairma. The traditioal structure of a members golf club could have a geeral committee where the chairma of each committee sit ad act as the board of directors. Typically accordig to the costitutio of a golf club the officers would be elected for a specific term of office at a club aual geeral meetig. Some members golf clubs have ow moderised their structure reducig the umber of committees with a Board of Directors elected for a term of office. This moder structure ca improve decisio makig ad commuicatio with employees. Ay officer of a golf club who is ivolved i the preparatio of policies ad has a role for cotrollig the directio of the club ca be deemed to be a employer/director, ad a resposible perso, for his or her period of office. Members of a golf club who are cosiderig puttig themselves forward for electio as officers should receive guidace e.g. based o HSE Free Guide INDG343 Directors Resposibilities for Health ad Safety. Where this guide uses the term Director, this icludes the ower of a proprietary golf club, a committee member, chairma, captai or other officer of the club who has sole or joit resposibility for policies ad procedures. Chapter Roles ad resposibilities committees, members ad employees The Committee, Proprietor The Employer A golf club is a busiess that employs staff to provide a service to golfers. This meas that a golf club comes withi the Health ad Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) which places duties o the employer to protect the safety of employees, o employees, icludig golfers ad members of the public who may be affected by work activities o the golf course. I practical terms these duties ca be summarised as:- To prepare ad sig a up to date Statemet of Safety Policy (see HSE Guide INDG 259) that has at the frot a summary of the club health ad safety policy ad sets out the structure of the busiess icludig the arragemets i place for maagig health ad safety, ad the roles ad resposibilities of key positios. To esure there are sufficiet local rules, guidace ad practical arragemets for the safety of staff ad golfers, icludig disabled persos whe o the golf course. To esure there are adequate arragemets for dealig with foreseeable emergecies e.g. fire, storm, fog, flood, sudde illess or accidet to iclude closig the golf course ad evacuatig of the site. To esure that the busiess does ot put others (cotractors, visitors, users of public footpaths, bridleways, or earby residets) at risk. To employ competet persos to fill key maagemet positios ad esure they have the ecessary skills for the duties they have to perform. To develop a safety culture ad high levels of awareess throughout all levels of the employee structure. To esure that health ad safety matters are discussed at committee ad board level as appropriate. Depedig upo the structure of a golf club busiess these duties ca be delegated to maagers (maagers ca be employed or cotracted). Where the maagemet of the busiess is cotracted out it will be ecessary to esure that these arragemets are clearly documeted ad uderstood by both parties. The Maagemet Team (Employees) The seior maager (Secretary/Maager/Geeral Maager) should esure that his/her maagemet ad supervisory team have sufficiet iformatio ad traiig to eable them to carry out their duties as directed by the employer (Committee/ Director). This will ivolve providig iformatio, traiig ad supervisio for those uder their commad. The maagers should either collectively or idividually esure that they cosult with their staff o ay relevat health ad safety matters. 6 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

7 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE The maagers should be resposible for The Staff Team (Employees) Geerally maagig the safety of the golf course maiteace operatio; set the stadards ad safety culture; be a example of safe work practices; set the safety rules e.g. wearig the PPE provided, seat belts (if fitted); ot hadlig mobile phoes, or usig CD players, i-pods etc. whe operatig work equipmet. Makig regular reports, ad where ecessary recommedatios, to the relevat committee or board of directors. The preparatio, implemetatio, review ad, where ecessary, revisio of risk assessmets ad other documetatio to show the effective maagemet of the health ad safety of the busiess. Orgaise ad keep records of staff traiig; ispectio, maiteace, ad where ecessary testig, of work equipmet; safety ispectios of premises. The arragemets for dealig with foreseeable emergecies o the site icludig the evacuatio of premises, closig the golf course, ad the provisio of first aid persoel. A importat part of this is to establish a effective meas of commuicatig across the site (mobile phoes, two-way radios) ad to have cotact details for key persoel e.g. the persos who are traied ad competet to take charge i a emergecy, duty maagers etc. Providig safety iformatio for golfers ad the public. The directors of the club will eed to satisfy themselves that maagers have the skills to perform these tasks ad, have take the ecessary steps to eable the maagers to be traied ad be competet for their duties. The maagers role could also be filled by the proprietor of a privately owed golf club; i this situatio the maager could be both the employer ad employee. A employee ca be ay perso who carries out a work related activity whether for paymet or ot. Golf club voluteers (icludig artisas) who carry out specific tasks (divotig, gardeig) are deemed to be employees ad should receive the same treatmet, particularly i respect of their traiig ad provisio of protective equipmet. Club directors have duties to esure that their staff teams have received the ecessary traiig ad provisio of protectio to eable them to carry out their duties safely. The golf club staff have duties to carry out the reasoable requests of the employer as delegated to the maagers. These ca iclude:- assist with the preparatio ad implemetatio of risk assessmets. use work equipmet strictly i accordace with their traiig, levels of competece, ad the maufacturers Operator Maual. ot to use aythig uless specifically authorised to do so. wearig such persoal protective equipmet (PPE) as is required to safely carry out their duties. they must ot iterfere with, alter or adjust, aythig that is provided for them for their protectio. they must report to their supervisor/maager ay icidet or other situa tio that could put their safety, or the safety of others, at risk. observe courtesy to golfers where practicable ad try ot to iterfere with play. Golfers Amateur golfers are geerally outside of the strict cotrol of HSWA as they are ot at work. However they do have a geeral Duty of Care ot to put others at risk as a result of their actios. They are also costraied by the Rules of Golf, ad probably also local Club Rules, that require them to observe etiquette ad courtesy to others. A golfer should wait util the way is clear before playig a shot. The golf club may also have local rules for priority o the whole or part of the golf course either geerally or at particular times of the day. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 7

8 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE Chapter 1.3 Cosultig employees The directors of a golf club have duties (see HSE Guidace INDG 232) to cosult with their employees (icludig part-time) about:- Ay chages that are plaed that may substatially affect their health ad safety at work such as chages to work equipmet to be used, chages to the desig ad layout of the golf course, chages to the yard, sheds ad welfare facilities. Ay proposals to chage the arragemets for gettig a competet perso to assist with complyig with health ad safety laws such as a health ad safety advisor. The hazards ad risks associated with their work as a result of carryig out risk assessmets, ay chages eeded to reduce those risks, ad what actio they should take if ew hazards are discovered such as reportig dagerous icidets or situatios that are hazardous to themselves or golfers. The plaig ad preparatio of safety traiig to update their skills or to use ew equipmet. Cosultatio is a two-way process where iformatio is give ad received by both employer ad employee. The directors of a golf club must choose the most effective method to cosult with their employees. The method chose will deped upo the size ad structure of the busiess activity ad could rage from a formal health ad safety committee (for larger sites) to a more iformal arragemet. Health ad safety cosultatio should iclude ay other associated busiesses based o the site such as the club professioal, food ad beverages caterers. Chapter 1.4 Dealig with accidets, icidets ad ijuries: providig a first aid service for employees ad golfers A accidet ca be described as a sudde uplaed evet resultig i oe or more persos beig ijured. A greekeeper slipped dow a damp bak whe usig a rideo mower. The mower did ot roll over ad there was o ijury, but the greekeeper realised that he could have bee ijured by the mower, ad/or slipped ito the earby buker ad sustai serious ijuries. If this had bee a ijury accidet ad had occurred i a remote part of the golf course early i the morig, or at a weeked, the cosequeces could be eve more serious as there was o meas of callig for assistace. Where risks of accidets ad icidets are foreseeable ad have bee idetified i a site specific risk assessmet there eeds to be a pla that will effectively reduce the likelihood that it might occur see Chapter 1.5 below for details of the risk assessmet process. Accidets at work must be recorded i the Accidet Book (Form BL 510). Uder the Reportig of Ijuries, Diseases ad Dagerous Occurreces Regulatios 1995 (RIDDOR) certai accidets, ijuries, ill health ad dagerous occurreces, which occur at the workplace whether as a result of work activities or ot, may be reportable. (RIDDOR Explaied HSE 31 (Rev 1). I geeral terms the followig should be reported:- l A death or major ijury to employees, a cotractor workig o your site, a member of the club or visitor, you should otify the eforcig authority as soo as possible. l A over three day ijury if a employee or self employed perso is off work (or uable to perform their ormal duties) for three workig days as a result of a accidet at work this should be reported withi 10 days. Two greekeepers were uloadig some sad from a trailer towed behid a tractor. The trailer had bee tipped half way but the sad would ot flow out, oe of the greekeepers wet roud to the rear of the trailer, climbed oto the back ad started to shovel the sad out of the rear. The driver of the tractor could ot see his compaio ad did ot kow he was o the trailer, he drove forward to shake the load by stoppig suddely. The sudde brakig caused the trailer to lurch ad topple over, throwig the secod greekeeper to the groud causig ijuries to his shoulder ad back. A icidet is also a sudde uplaed evet but i this case obody was ijured; however it may be that i the view of the persos ivolved there was a high potetial for a accidet if the icidet were to re-occur. 8 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

9 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE l A Reportable Disease if a doctor iforms you that a employee is sufferig from a reportable work related disease. Reportable diseases iclude: certai poisoigs; some ski diseases such as occupatioal dermatitis, ski cacer, chrome ulcer, oil folliculitis/ace; lug diseases icludig occupatioal asthma, farmer s lug, peumocoiosis, asbestosis, mesothelioma; ifectios such as leptospirosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, athrax, legioellosis ad tetaus; other coditios such as: occupatioal cacer, certai musculoskeletal disorders, decompressio illess ad had-arm vibratio sydrome. eforcemet officer should be o the Health ad Safety Iformatio Poster this could be the local authority Evirometal Health Officer or HSE (if the site is owed/maaged by the local authority). The full list of reportable diseases, ad the work activities they are related to, ca be foud i the detailed guide to the Regulatios ad i the pad of report forms; or simply rig the HSE Ifolie to check. l A dagerous occurrece - a accidet or icidet with a high potetial to cause death or serious ijury that ivolved liftig equipmet, pressure systems (irrigatio pipes, air lies), electrical circuits that fail ad cause a fire or explosio, escape of a dagerous substaces ad other situatios that are listed i the above HSE Guide. To report a accidet, icidet, disease or dagerous occurrece cotact: Icidet Cotact Cetre Caerphilly Busiess Park Caerphilly CF83 3GG By Telephoe: (8.30 am 5.00 pm) By Fax: By iteret: [email protected] Ivestigatig Accidets ad Icidets It ca ofte be helpful to look ito a accidet i more detail i order to see if there is aythig that ca be doe to reduce the risks of it happeig agai, possibly with more serious results for your staff, members or visitors. The results of carryig out your ow iteral ivestigatio could trigger a chage to a geeral site specific risk assessmet carried out uder the Maagemet of Health ad Safety at Work Regulatios. Havig a system for ivestigatig accidets, icidets ad ear misses ca ofte provide importat iformatio that could prevet a reoccurrece ad more serious outcome i the future. Keepig a record of your iteral ivestigatio could also be very importat to assist a official accidet ivestigatio, or complait, by your local health ad safety eforcemet officer. The ame ad cotact details of your local Providig a First Aid Service Golf course employers have duties to provide adequate umbers of first aid persoel ad first aid equipmet accordig to the umbers employed ad the results of a assessmet of the risks to all employees. There is o statutory duty to provide a first aid service to o employees e.g. golfers ad the public. However the HSE ecourage employers to cosider o employees whe cosiderig the umber of first aid staff eeded o a site ad most golf clubs iclude providig first aid to members ad guests i their policies ad procedures. Calculatig how may first aid staff would be eeded is a importat part of the risk assessmet process; however i geeral it is good practice to aim to have at least oe first aid perso o duty at all times whe the site is ope for busiess. Employers: have sufficiet traied first aid persoel ad appropriate first aid equipmet who ca be available i the evet of a accidet keep a record of all accidets that take place at work report all accidets, ijuries, icidets ad ill health required uder RIDDOR ivestigate accidets, ad icidets, idetify causes ad take actio to prevet the same thig happeig agai make sure that employees uderstad that they must report all accidets ad icidets ad iform their maager of dagerous situatios Employees: report all accidets ad icidets co-operate with your employer i ivestigatig ad prevetig accidets Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 9

10 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE Referece Material: Ivestigatig Accidets ad Icidets (HSG 245) HSE Books A guide to the Reportig of Ijuries, Diseases, ad Dagerous Occurreces Regulatios 1995 (L73) HSE Books RIDDOR explaied (HSE 31) HSE Books RIDDOR Reportig What the Icidet cotact cetre ca do for you (MISC 310) HSE Books Chapter 1.5 The Risk Assessmet how to do it Maagig risks o a golf course must ivolve a orgaised cosideratio by all ivolved of the likely hazards ad what risks are foreseeable this is the core activity of a risk assessmet. Risk assessmets ow form the basis of most moder legislatio ad while the cotets of a risk assessmet ca be differet, the basic approach to carryig out a risk assessmet are the same see the HSE Guide 5 Steps to Risk Assessmet (INDG 163 (rev 2). Sigificat risks should be recorded; this helps iductio traiig of ew staff ad provides a guide for periodic review. A file of up to date site specific risk assessmets is a essetial part of your safety policy ad safety maagemet system the followig is a suggested format for a risk assessmet file :- Sectio 1 The golf club Statemet of Safety Policy ad the specific arragemets for maagig health ad safety, icludig the structure showig the health ad safety roles ad resposibilities. Sectio 2 The Geeral Risk Assessmets for the yard, buildigs, work equipmet ad golf course (a specific hole by hole assessmet). This is a opportuity to assess the risks for those hazards you have idetified that are uique to your workplace ad ot covered by other specific regulatios e.g. slopes o their ow but also ear hazards such as ditches, bukers, lakes; crossig the highway; golf ball hazards; crossig holes etc. Where you idetify a hazard that is covered by aother more specific regulatio the refer to that risk assessmet to see the details. Sectio 3 The COSHH Regulatios - (see details of these regulatios i Sectio 5.0) this sectio should cosist of a up to date ivetory of all hazardous products ad substaces used by employees; a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each item o the ivetory together with a risk assessmet. Remember that greekeepers are at risk of exposure to dust ad biological agets such as Tetaus, Weil s ad Lymes Disease, Legioella, ad some poisoous plats. Sectio 4 Risk assessmets uder the Maual Hadlig Operatios Regulatios. The emphasis i these regulatios is to avoid the eed to carry out uecessary maual hadlig by good Woode steps to tee wor by studs Steep baks to right ad rear of the gree Irrigatio Pod with steep baks from right of the gree Above: Dale Hill Hotel ad Golf Club Old Course Hole 7 Sigificat Hazards workplace desig ad the use of mechaical equipmet; this approach is also likely to icrease the efficiecy of may tasks such as hadlig fertiliser bags ad rolls of turf. Traiig ad follow-up supervisio is importat to esure staff have the skills ad have made chages to workig practices that avoid traditioal maual hadlig. Sectio 5 Risk assessmets for oise ad vibratio (see also Sectio 4.0, Chapters 4.0 ad 5.0). This sectio should iclude data from maufacturers, local moitorig ad guidace by HSE ad others. This sectio will also eed to cotai, or refer elsewhere to, a system for recordig ad moitorig exposure. Sectio 6 Risk assessmets carried out uder the First Aid at Work Regulatios ad Code of Practice. Sectio 7 Risk assessmets carried out uder the Work at Height Regulatios 10 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

11 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE Chapter Employig ad traiig staff The process of advertisig, iterviewig ad employig a ew member of staff should iclude clear descriptios of the duties of the positio, the qualificatios eeded ad the traiig that will be made available to develop ad ehace existig skills. A Job Descriptio is a very good way of esurig that you have covered the mai duties but make sure that it cotais the ecessary site specific iformatio, i particular the types of equipmet that will be used. Soo after your ew employee commeces employmet he/she should receive iductio traiig that gives essetial health ad safety iformatio such as: A tour of the workplace where ay hazards will be poited out. Iformatio o what work equipmet ca, ad caot, be used. A copy of the Geeral Statemet of Safety Policy. Details of the arragemets for health ad safety o the site. Copies of the risk assessmets relevat to the work to be udertake. Details of the iitial ad subsequet traiig that will be provided. This will be the commecemet of the developmet of a Persoal Traiig Pla that should be updated at each aual appraisal. Iductio traiig for a ew employee is a good opportuity to carry out iitial assessmet of their levels of skill. This is particularly importat where they claim to be competet i certai tasks cotaied i the Job Descriptio ivolvig the use of work equipmet, pesticides ad ay other complex ad/or potetially dagerous work. This could ivolve a short check test o a typical item of equipmet followed by agreemet o whether further traiig is ecessary. Experiece shows that carryig out complex tasks usig rideo work equipmet, ofte o udulatig golf course terrai i poor groud coditios, by poorly traied employees poses a high risk of ijury accidets. Esurig that your staff are competet to carry out their duties is oe of the biggest challeges i effective health ad safety maagemet. Traiig should be a ogoig process ad ever somethig that oly happes at oe poit i your employees workig life. Greekeepers eed to be multi-skilled ad a great deal of the skills they eed will be leared at work. Prove competece is a key factor i reducig risks of accidets at work; it is very importat therefore that the perso i charge of the o the job traiig is a competet perso who is usig a recogised structured system for achievig the appropriate level of skill. The more Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 11

12 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE advaced ad complex skills may eed to be taught by attedig courses ru by specialist istructors either at work or off-site. You should aim to moitor the competece of your staff, especially as a lack of job kowledge ad skills could make them more vulerable to havig accidets. Special attetio may eed to be give to employees who deputise for others. Their skills are likely to be uderdeveloped ad they may eed more traiig especially if they are usig work equipmet ad/or workig aloe. You should aim to provide your employees with the kowledge that uderpis their skills e.g. a approved local college providig NVQ qualificatios. This combiatio of o the job traiig for skill, together with, attedig a college for the uderpiig kowledge ad relevat additioal specific traiig courses, is geerally ackowledged withi the idustry as the priciple route to achievig ad demostratig competece. Your detailed site ad task based risk assessmets may also idetify idividuals or groups who are especially at risk; these may iclude people who work aloe for sigificat periods, youg people, ad those employed o a casual basis for short periods each week, e.g. artisas ad golf caddies. Your risk assessmets may also idetify hazardous situatios, which may require specific traiig, examples could iclude; workig o slopes, ear ditches, lakes ad pods, ad workig i cofied spaces such as drai pits ad irrigatio taks. Some Defiitios Traiig: Competece: Certificates of Competece: the process of brigig a perso to a agreed stadard of proficiecy, by istructio ad supervised practice by a competet perso havig sufficiet kowledge, skill, experiece ad uderstadig to eable a perso to carry out a task to a agreed stadard certificates issued by a awardig body followig assessmet idicatig that the cadidate has achieved the required stadard Note: Certificates of Competece may be a statutory requiremet, or specified i a Approved Code of Practice, for example; Certificate of Competece i the Safe Use of Pesticides, Chaisaws ad Forklift Trucks. Others may be o-statutory evidece that show a sufficiet level of traiig has bee achieved. Further iformatio ad advice o traiig ca be obtaied from: The Greekeepers Traiig Committee (GTC); British ad Iteratioal Golf Greekeepers Associatio (BIGGA); Local Learig ad Sector Skills Coucils who will be able to provide advice o Natioal Vocatioal Qualificatios. I Scotlad, Local Eterprise Compaies ad Scottish Vocatioal Qualificatios; Local traiig providers; LANTRA; Natioal Proficiecy Tests Coucil (NPTC); Colleges of further educatio. What you eed to do: prepare ad implemet a iductio programme for ew employees provide adequate iformatio ad traiig for all staff provide updatig traiig, for example whe staff chage jobs, whe ew machiery is itroduced, or whe legislatio chages keep traiig records (the GTC Wallchart ad BIGGA Machiery ad Work Equipmet Traiig Maual could form part of this process) review traiig eeds o a regular basis Refereces: HSE leaflet Trai to survive1, which provides geeral advice o traiig. Chapter 1.7 Employig voluteers ad casual part-time staff Voluteers ca make a valuable cotributio to achievig a high stadard of presetatio o the golf course. A voluteer could be a member of a golf club offerig his or her services for a few hours a week, or a member of the Artisas Sectio of the golf club who i recogitio of a reduced membership fee agrees to carry out work activities. Some golf clubs also employ local persos o a part-time paid basis to assist the staff team at busy periods of the year. Ay perso who carries out work for your golf club should be icluded withi the existig health ad safety structure for full time employees. This is particularly so of the iductio ad iitial assessmet ad traiig process. Uskilled voluteer ad part-time employees will eed more supervisio ad may well be better workig alogside ad assistig a competet member of the full time employed team. Risk assessmets may eed to be adjusted to take accout of the employmet of voluteers ad part-time staff. It may be that separate risk assessmets are eeded for work set aside for this group. Chapter 1.8 Employig childre ad youg persos Childre: Childre are those who have ot yet reached the official age at which they may leave school (the miimum school leavig age (MSLA), usually 16 years of age. I additio to health, safety ad employmet regulatios ad guidace there will also be local 12 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

13 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE restrictios o the hours a child ca work ad also the type of work that ca be udertake. I additio to the guidace for Youg Persos below, there may well be additioal work to do before employig a child so equiries should be made of the local authority before a child starts work whether for paymet or ot. Accidet statistics for the agriculture sector show a umber of serious accidets ad deaths to youg persos ivolvig work equipmet; this icludes work o golf courses. Youg persos could be employed to work o a golf course as placemet studets from a local college, they could be still at school ad be udergoig works experiece, or they could be employed full time by a golf club as appretices. The followig are key factors i esurig the safety of youg persos at work o a golf course:- There may be circumstaces where a golf club could have childre i the workig eviromet: A juior member of the golf club playig golf without paretal supervisio. A child udergoig work experiece o the golf course uder the supervisio of the school ad the golf club with paretal permissio. A child employed to work o the golf course o a part time basis. I these circumstaces there ca be restrictios o the umber of hours worked ad the times whe a child ca be employed. Before employig a child the followig arragemets must already be i place: Paretal permissio must be obtaied. As part of this process the golf club will eed to provide details of the work that will be carried out ad the arragemets for supervisio. No work ca be carried out ivolvig potetially dagerous work equipmet or dagerous substaces. A child must ot carry out ay heavy physical work such as liftig ad carryig heavy objects. A child must ot be permitted to work aloe. There must be a agreed programme of work structured to take accout of a youg persos eed to lear at their ow pace ad their physical ad psychological capacity. There must be thorough iductio traiig that icludes prohibitios for the use of some work equipmet, chemicals, work at height ad other potetially dagerous tasks. Separate risk assessmets for key tasks carried out by youg persos must be prepared ad regularly reviewed as ofte as is ecessary to esure they are relevat to the work. There must be a omiated perso who will be a competet supervisor, metor ad role model for youg persos at work. Supervisio of a youg perso will require a great deal more time workig with them withi sight ad soud util such time as they are siged off as beig competet to carry out specific tasks. Traiig i the use of ay work equipmet will be followed by supervised practice util such time as the youg perso is siged off as beig competet to operate a particular item. Chapter 1.9 Employig cotractors ad maagig cotracted works A cotractor could be a large busiess orgaisatio or a sigle haded self-employed perso employed to work o a golf course to carry out a specific task. These ca rage from large scale buildig costructio works to routie maiteace activities. Golf clubs also employ cotractors to work alogside them for a period of time to assist the busiess activity e.g. frachise caterers, cleaers, golf professioals. I order that all the above arragemets are i place a competet perso must complete a detailed risk assessmet that is agreed by all ivolved with resposibility for the safety of the child. Youg Persos A youg perso is regarded as beig betwee the ages of Youg persos at work are regarded as a vulerable group of employees due to their lack of physical ad metal developmet. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 13

14 SECTION 1.0 MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY ON A GOLF COURSE Where the cotractor is a busiess employig five or more people you will eed to establish the followig key factors before employig them: A up to date Statemet of Safety Policy for their employees that icludes workig o the site of aother employer. A adequate risk assessmet for the specific work that you are cosiderig askig them to carry out. Evidece of relevat traiig ad competece for their employees. Suitable arragemets for dealig with accidets ad emergecies whilst workig o site. Where you are cosiderig employig a sigle haded self-employed perso or a small busiess with less tha five people you will eed to cosider the followig: Are they aware of their health ad safety duties ad resposibilities to themselves ad to others? Are you i a positio to provide them with iformatio o your ow arragemets for maagig health ad safety icludig the arragemets for o employees workig o your site? Regardless of whether the cotractor is a large or small busiess, a golf club has duties ad resposibilities to protect them:- ad materials that will ot preset a hazard to staff ad golfers. This may require that specific haul routes across the golf course are agreed; possibly ivolvig the eed to close some golf holes to protect the cotractor from risks of beig hit by golf balls. Iclude the cotractor i your arragemets for dealig with emergecies. Have arragemets for regular meetigs to discuss progress ad ay health ad safety problems. Major Costructio Works It may be that major costructio works o the golf course could come withi the Costructio Desig ad Maagemet Regulatios 2007 (CDM 2007). These Regulatios deal specifically with costructio works that last more tha 30 workig days ivolvig more tha 500 perso days (e.g. 50 people workig for over 10 days) Further advice ad guidace is i the Approved Code of Practice Maagig Health ad Safety i Costructio (L144) (available from HSE Books). The key aim of CDM2007 is to itegrate health ad safety ito the maagemet of the project ad to ecourage everyoe ivolved to work together to: Have a formal agreemet that states clearly the works to be carried out. Have a formal iductio/cotract start procedure that allows both sides to discuss ad uderstad the works to be carried out, the work areas, aspects of site safety, site cotact details ad commuicatio procedures. Provide iformatio o ay hazards that you kow to be o the site e.g. locatio of asbestos, gas ad electrical supplies. Provide a safe place of work ad esure that your work activities do ot put the cotractor at risk. Provide a safe meas of access ad egress from the work site icludig safe arragemets for delivery ad storage of plat a. Improve the plaig ad maagemet of projects form the very start; b. Idetify hazards early o, so they ca be elimiated or reduced at the desig or plaig stage ad the remaiig risks ca be properly maaged; c. Target effort where it ca do the most good i terms of health ad safety; ad d. Discourage uecessary bureaucracy. This Approved Code also gives guidace o the health ad safety maagemet of a costructio project eve it the works do ot qualify uder CDM l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

15 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK Chapter 2.1 Workig i the field of play The icreasig popularity of golf has brought chages to the workig eviromet for greekeepers ad others who have to work o a golf course. To meet a icreasig demad, some pay ad play golf courses ow offer golf from daw to dusk. This has resulted i some sites recordig a throughput of golfers i excess of sixty thousad rouds per year. This high frequecy of play ca create problems for maagers whe orgaisig essetial daily maiteace work to reduce the risks of greekeepers beig hit by golf balls, but also avoids iterruptios to play. The situatio ca be less serious for greekeepers workig i a private members golf club where playig frequecy is likely to be less ad the club should have more cotrol over whe play commeces each day. Workig o a golf course is uique i sport as the greekeeper (or cotractor) must carry out the work while the golf course is i play. This situatio creates potetial hazards for both the greekeeper ad golfer: You may be workig i areas of the golf course, withi rage of a golf shot but usee by the golfer e.g. o the blid side of a hill. I this situatio the greekeeper ca be vulerable to beig hit by golf balls. You may also be workig o adjacet golf holes ad at risk of beig hit by a wayward golf shot. Despite beig i view of the golfer, you may be vulerable to beig hit due to a lack of uderstadig of the Rules of Golf, or local rules o priority. Some golf courses share paths, bridges ad other pich poits betwee golfers ad greekeepers. I some situatios this ca create coflict betwee work (tractors, ride-o mowers) ad owork traffic (golfers with trolleys, golf buggies). Despite good work plaig you may have to iterrupt play that ca result i cofrotatio with golfers. You may be at risk of beig hit by work equipmet whilst playig o the course. The golfer may be at risk of cotamiatio by dust or pesticides whilst playig o the course. It is usual for a golf course to remai fully or partly ope for play durig costructio works. To reduce the likelihood (the risk) of accidets to either party, the followig are accepted safe practices that you should iclude i your golf course geeral risk assessmet:- Make a local rule that gives priority to greekeepers for a agreed period, usually i the early morig, or make a local rule that gives priority to greekeepers at all times, but with a istructio to greekeepers to give way wheever it is practicable to do so. Maagers (clubhouse, golf professioal ad greekeeper) to keep i regular cotact to make sure they kow what evets are plaed for the golf course so that the course ca be prepared safely ad o time. You should pla to start work early to get ahead of play. Pla the work to clear the holes most likely to be i play first e.g. the frot ie, or other holes that may be used to start a competitio. Idetify holes that are potetially dagerous whe i play e.g. blid tee shots or blid approach shots to a gree. To reduce the risks of accidets these holes to receive priority for maiteace work. For importat maiteace operatios that are potetially disruptive for play e.g. hollow corig followed by top dressig ad over seedig, have a agreed period whe the course will be closed, or tee off times are suspeded, say for 30 miutes. This gives the greekeepers a opportuity to work safely ad efficietly without iterruptio or risk of ijury from golf balls. Whe plaig costructio works idetify haul routes ad work areas where there is a eed to shorte or close some holes to reduce the risk of accidets. Chapter 2.2 The Golf Course Safety Ispectio A golf course is part of our livig eviromet ad coditios ca chage, sometimes at short otice, resultig i a icreasig risk of ijuries to staff ad golfers. A importat part of the arragemets for maagig health ad safety for both employees ad golfers should be to have a flexible system for ispectig the golf course as ofte as is ecessary to eable decisios to be made regardig potetially hazardous coditios such as: Heavy rai that has created usafe groud coditios particularly o slopes where work equipmet is to be used, or golf trolleys ad golf carts will be drive. The oset of fog that could restrict the view of golfers whe preparig to play. A high wid that threates to brig dow trees or damage other structure. A violet storm with the risk of staff ad golfers beig struck by lightig. Heavy rai that creates a rise i water levels threateig to cut off parts of the golf course, icreasig the risk of drowig. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 15

16 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK A woodlad fire i hot, dry weather that threates to egulf the golf course. A specific feature of the golf course that has become dagerous e.g. a bridge, steps, viewig tower or eroded river bak. The above situatios ca be described as foreseeable for most golf courses; you may eve thik of some more that are uique to your site ad are also foreseeable. Your site specific geeral risk assessmets should iclude these hazards ad cotai details of the arragemets for reducig the risks of ijury. Page 20 cotais a format for a ispectio checklist for a typical 18 hole golf course with space for you to make additios. be orgaised by your club, or you may be hostig a evet by your Couty Uio or aother orgaisatio. May atioal ad iteratioal evets are orgaised ad ru by professioal evet orgaisers who take resposibility for much of the work ad also the safety of the site. However the host golf club must esure that the roles ad resposibilities of both parties are clearly uderstood; for example it could be that the host remais resposible for the work activities to prepare the golf course for the evet. Followig the golf course ispectio it may be ecessary to make urget decisios about the safety of the site for greekeepers ad/or golfers. This may require closig all, or part, of the site util coditios improve or util remedial works have bee carried out ad the area made safe. This could iclude a decisio to restrict or prohibit golfers usig golf buggies ad/or trolleys o the grouds of safety. If such decisios are eeded the it is reasoable to state the legth of the ba, this could be:- a) Util further otice b) Util the ext ispectio i a hour c) Util repairs are completed estimated to be i the ext xx hours. The arragemets for maagig safety o the golf course (see Sectio 1.0) should iclude the ability to commuicate across the site quickly ad efficietly usig whatever practical meas are provided. This could be issuig ad traiig i the use of two-way radios combied with ear defeders fitted with microphoes to eable hads free operatio ad miimisig oise whe workig ear to golfers. The arragemets should also iclude a pla for givig rapid access to parts of the golf course by cotractors ad emergecy services via paths ad possibly alterative gates givig access from the highway. Chapter 2.3 Golf Touramets ad Crowd Cotrol A golf touramet is a opportuity to gai prestige ad valuable publicity for the golf club by attractig spectators, may of whom are likely to be golfers, possibly from other clubs. The evet may A touramet o the site ca chage may of the existig arragemets for maagig health ad safety: Accordig to the wishes of the evet orgaisers there may eed to be chages to the way the golf course is prepared ad preseted; this could iclude additioal workig i ew areas of the golf course usig differet work equipmet. Check your golf course risk assessmets to see if there is a eed to make chages or add ew sectios. You may eed to employ additioal staff, ad voluteers to deal with the extra work. You will eed to esure all additioal staff receive iductio traiig ad a skills check, possibly with additioal traiig prior to usig work equipmet o your site. You may eed additioal temporary welfare facilities to cater for the extra staff. There could be others workig o the site, possibly erectig gradstads, marquees, televisio towers see Sectio 1.0, Chapter 1.9 Employig cotractors ad maagig cotracted works. The evet may attract large crowds who will wat to watch the touramet o the golf course, require car parkig, toilets ad refreshmets. You will eed to esure there are clearly marked viewig areas, crowd lies ad access paths with sufficiet stewards (voluteers) available to esure effective crowd cotrol ad security. Your existig arragemets for first aid, icludig equipmet ad emergecy respose, may be isufficiet to cope with the icreased umbers, work activities ad risks of accidets. You may eed to cotact the Red Cross, St. Joh Ambulece or other agecies who ca provide the ecessary 16 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

17 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK short term additioal staff ad equipmet eeded. If it is to be a large evet there may be a impact o local ifrastructure, i particular local roads ad access poits to the golf course. You may eed to discuss this with your local authority, local police force ad other emergecy services. A particular aspect of your discussios will be the safe ad efficiet maagemet of vehicles o earby access roads to avoid causig a obstructio. It is likely that a touramet will require a good deal of forward plaig, possibly a year i advace; to esure it is a success there may eed to be a special expert group (depedig upo the size of the evet this may eed to iclude a competet perso/safety officer ) formed so that there ca be a plaed ad structured approach to the evet. Guidace for the plaig ad maagemet of evets is cotaied i the Gree Book (Safety i Sports Grouds 4th Editio ISBN ). Access by Golfers Moder golf courses may be desiged ad costructed with a etwork of steps ad paths to give access for golfers icludig owers ad hirers of golf carts. May older golf clubs provide access to owers of golf carts ad also provide golf carts for hire either directly themselves, or through the club golf professioal. The wear to traditioal grass paths due to the icrease i the umber of games played, together with the eed to provide improved access for golf carts, is resultig i costructio works carried out to improve safe access. Chapter 2.4 Access to the golf course the public, walkig golfers, users of trolleys ad golf carts (buggies) Public Access Public access to golf courses must be cosidered. I Eglad ad Wales access ca be by usig public footpaths, bridleways ad other public rights of way; access may also be because a golf course is o commo lad. Public access i Scotlad is differet due to the Lad Reform (Scotlad) Act 2003; guidace uder this Act is cotaied i the Scottish Outdoor Access Code ( I Scotlad, idividuals ca exercise access rights to cross golf courses for the purposes of gettig from poit A to poit B, providig they exercise these rights resposibly. Those accessig golf courses must keep off golf grees at all times, must ot iterfere with ay games of golf or damage ay of the playig surfaces. Regardless of the meas of access, all those who ited to cross a golf course will eed to be made aware of the potetial risks of ijury from flyig golf balls ad work activities. It may ot be obvious to a walker that he/she is about to eter a golf course ad there may be a eed to provide otices givig advice; golfers may also eed advice o the locatio of a public access poit, icludig guidace o priority. There are also some golf courses where play is adjacet to ad eve across public highways, usually laes ad small roads. Some of these highways have become busier due to local developmet, short cuts to mai roads avoidig tow cetres ad so o. Whe preparig a geeral risk assessmet for the golf course you will eed to cosider these matters ad take some form of reasoable actio to reduce the risks of ijury. Costructed features such as path ad steps should be fit for purpose ad have a system of safety ispectio ad maiteace work that esures they remai safe to use. This requires that a golf club gives careful cosideratio to several factors:- Costructig a flight of steps to a tee ca obstruct the mowig lie for ride-o equipmet ad require additioal, potetially more hazardous, use of had held equipmet to cut the grass. Is the use of sleepers to costruct steps the best material to use whe cosiderig the icrease i the use of soft spikes o golf shoes? Wood ca be usafe i wet or icy coditios ad may eed to be covered with a surface material givig better grip. The height ad width of steps will eed careful cosideratio; each step must be of eve height to avoid risks of trippig. A log flight of steps givig access to a tee may eed the additio of a rail that provides support to prevet a fall. Safety rails i themselves ca be a hazard if they are forward of the teeig off positio a ricochet from a drive golf ball ca cause serious ijury to bystaders. Materials used for path costructio should be durable ad capable of withstadig wash-off durig heavy rai. Ueve paths ca become more hazardous tha traditioal grass. Grass paths ca be stregtheed by the use of sub-surface materials ad rootzoe supplemets such as recycled rubber crumb. The width ad slope agle of paths will eed careful cosideratio i relatio to traffic flow ad risks of losig cotrol of heavy trolleys ad golf carts. Bridges across ditches, streams ad other water features should have a desig specificatio capable of sustaiig the weight of the Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 17

18 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK iteded traffic. There are also risks of accidets where bridges that were costructed origially for light traffic oly are havig their uses exteded e.g. tractors ad trailers. Providig edge protectio is importat to arrest a foot, the wheel of a trolley or golf cart from fallig over the edge. All ma made structures o the golf course will eed regular ispectio ad arragemets to efficietly carry out repairs. For more complex structures such as bridges over rivers, it may be ecessary to have these ispected by a competet perso e.g. a structural egieer at suitable itervals. Adequate ispectio arragemets for structures o the golf course may also be required by golf club isurers. Golf clubs also have a duty to provide reasoable access to a golf course uder the Disability Discrimiatio Act. A importat part of the decisio makig process to provide access for disabled golfers will be the detailed risk assessmet of the site see Code of Practice Rights of Access etc. (Disability Rights Commissio ISBN ). Where a risk assessmet has idetified hazards for users of golf carts, these should be icluded i a advice ote to users; this could also iclude advice o preferred routes, safe parkig areas ad other features to reduce the risk of accidets. Chapter 2.5 Esurig adequate provisio for staff welfare The geeral requiremets for the provisio of staff welfare facilities are cotaied i the Workplace (Health Safety ad Welfare) Regulatios 1992 ad the accompayig Approved Code of Practice (available from HSE Books). May staff welfare facilities are located withi a mai storage buildig ad the specific requiremets below will eed careful cosideratio to esure your greekeepers welfare facility is i compliace with these Regulatios. If your employer is plaig to carry out improvemets to the staff welfare facilities it will be very importat to cosider the guidace set out below. I geeral the basic facilities required by these Regulatios are: Widows for atural light ad vetilatio Opeable widows, skylights ad vetilators should be capable of beig opeed, closed or adjusted safely ad, whe ope, should ot pose ay udue risk to ayoe. Widows ad skylights should be desiged so that they may be cleaed safely. Widows fitted to buildigs iside a mai storage uit may ot provide sufficiet atural light; furthermore these widows, whe ope, may i fact draw i fumes from work equipmet beig ru withi the mai buildig e.g as a result of work equipmet maiteace work. Doors ad gates Doors ad gates should be suitably costructed ad fitted with safety devices if ecessary. However they must be capable of beig kept ope, or be opeed quickly i the evet of a emergecy e.g. a fire. May exterior doors to golf course storage sheds are of the roll-up steel shutter type. It is very importat that these types of doors are maitaied i accordace with maufacturers istructios ad are regularly ispected for faults. All doors, but i particular fire doors, ad escape paths must be kept clear at all times. Havig a marked escape path marked o the floor of the storage shed will help to maitai a clear escape path. Saitary coveieces ad washig facilities Suitable ad sufficiet saitary coveieces ad washig facilities should be provided at readily accessible places. They, ad the rooms cotaiig them, should be kept clea ad be adequately vetilated ad lit. Washig facilities should have ruig hot ad cold or warm water, soap ad clea towels or other meas of cleaig or dryig. If required by the type of work, showers should also be provided. Me ad wome should have separate facilities uless each facility is i a separate room with a lockable door ad is for use by oly oe perso at a time. Greekeepers will be ivolved i heavy physical work i both hot ad cold weather; there is also a likelihood of cotamiatio by dust from mowig, sweepig, top dressig, fertilisers etc.; there is also a risk of exposure to pesticides ad other substaces that are all potetially harmful to health. Havig adequate facilities for washig ad decotamiatio showers will be importat ot oly uder these Regulatios but also to comply with risk assessmets required uder the Cotrol of Substaces Hazardous to Health Regulatios (COSHH) (see Sectio 6.0) Drikig water A adequate supply of high-quality drikig water, with a upward drikig jet or suitable cups, should be provided. Water should oly be provided i refillable eclosed cotaiers where it caot be obtaied directly from a mais supply. The cotaiers should be refilled at least daily (uless they are chilled water dispesers where the cotaiers are retured to the supplier for refillig). Bottled water/water dispesig systems may still be provided as a secodary source of drikig water. Whe workig physically hard it is very importat that you maitai good levels of hydratio. Carryig a supply of drikig water i a clea cotaier is very importat ad will help you to avoid dehydratio. 18 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

19 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK ad vas, ad there are few exemptios. Further advice ad iformatio is available at: Priority o the Golf Course for Safe Play ad Work a Example of a Course Safety Policy The Rules of Golf- Sectio 1 Etiquette; Behaviour o the Course Safety: Players should esure that o oe is stadig close by or i a positio to be hit by the club, the ball or ay stoes, pebbles, twigs or the like whe they make a stroke or practice swig. Players should ot play util players i frot are out of rage. Accommodatio for clothig ad facilities for chagig Adequate, suitable ad secure space should be provided to store workers ow clothig ad special clothig. As far as is reasoably practicable the facilities should allow for dryig clothig. Chagig facilities should also be provided for workers who chage ito special work clothig. The facilities should be readily accessible from workrooms ad washig ad eatig facilities, ad should esure the privacy of the user, be of sufficiet capacity, ad be provided with seatig. I additio to chagig ito work clothig you may eed to chage your work clothig several times i a workig day, for example if you get caught i a heavy shower it is ot good for your health to cotiue workig i wet clothes. Havig a heated room where your work clothes ca dry out overight ready to put o the ext morig is very importat, this icludes work boots, socks etc. Dryig rooms should be correctly vetilated to remove excess moisture ad odours. Facilities for rest ad to eat meals Suitable ad sufficiet, readily accessible rest facilities should be provided. Seats should be provided for workers to use durig breaks. These should be i a place where persoal protective equipmet eed ot be wor. Rest areas or rooms should be large eough ad have sufficiet seats with backrests ad tables for the umber of workers likely to use them at ay oe time, icludig suitable access ad seatig which is adequate for the umber of disabled people at work. Where workers regularly eat meals at work, suitable ad sufficiet facilities should be provided for the purpose. Such facilities should also be provided where food would otherwise be likely to be cotamiated. Work areas ca be couted as rest areas ad as eatig facilities, provided they are adequately clea ad there is a suitable surface o which to place food. Where provided, eatig facilities should iclude a facility for preparig or obtaiig a hot drik. Where hot food caot be obtaied i or reasoably ear to the work place, workers may eed to be provided with a meas for heatig their ow food (e.g. microwave ove), they should also be ear to saitary facilities. From 26 March 2006, it has bee illegal to smoke i most idoor places i Scotlad other tha private homes; this also become law i Eglad ad Wales i The law affects most workplaces, icludig lorries Players should always alert greestaff earby or ahead whe they are about to make a stroke that might edager them. If a player plays a ball i a directio where there is a dager of hittig someoe, he should immediately shout a warig. The traditioal word of warig i such situatios is Fore. So far as is practicably possible, the maiteace of the courses will be plaed to esure that most operatios are completed before the golf course is ope for play; however there will also be other operatios that will eed to be carried out whe the golf course is i play. I geeral it is the Policy of the Club that staff workig o the golf course will have priority util am (Club to decide). Alterative Wordig It is the Policy of the Club that greestaff have priority o the golf course to esure their health, safety, ad the efficiet preparatio of the course for play. Players should ot play the ball if there are other players, the public, or staff i rage, see above extract from the Rules of Golf. Staff workig o the course at other times will give way to play o every occasio where it is reasoable ad safe to do so. Staff will give way to golfers by turig to the players ackowledgig their presece ad stadig to oe side, especially whe rakig bukers or other tasks aroud tees, grees ad other areas where they could obstruct play. Operators of machies e.g. fairway mowers, will stop ad wait util the shot has bee played. If for operatioal, or safety, reasos it is ot possible to give way, players will wait util the completio of the operatio. Icidets ivolvig staff or machiery beig hit (or a ear miss) by golf balls will be reported straightaway to the relevat maager e.g. Course Maager, or Deputy. The icidet will be etered i the accidet/icidet book ad a ivestigatio coducted to see if ay repetitio ca be preveted i future. The Club will reserve the right to take actio agaist ay player who Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 19

20 SECTION 2.0 THE GOLF COURSE AS A SPORTING VENUE AND A PLACE OF WORK A Golf Course Safety Ispectio Checklist Example is subsequetly foud to have played dagerously ad i cotravetio of the Club Rules ad the Rules of Golf. SITE OR FEATURE NOTES ACTION REQUIRED DONE Slopig Groud: Approach to 1st Gree 3rd Fairway 12th tee path from yellows 16th Frot of gree turig area 18th gree surroud o right side above deep buker Mai approach is becomig eroded Groud is wet Use hoops to divert golf traffic War staff to avoid turig here Doe verbal today Bridges ad Crossig Poits: Golf buggy bridge o 7th fairway. Pedestria ad trolley bridge i frot of 10th gree Multi-use bridge over river at the 15th Sleepers givig access across the ditch o right of 17th fairway. Edge protectio is missig o right side Safety rail is loose Replace edge protectio Urget Arrage for cotract egieer to ispect ad repair Hedge o Highway by Crossig Poit from 12th gree to 13th fairway Visibility is obstructed by hedge growth Cut hedge back - Urget Sleeper Steps To 4th tees To 8th tees Ito 11th fairway deep buker All steps are showig wear from spikes Iclude replacemet of these i witer works programme Buggy Paths Through the woods from 5th tee to gree Alog right side of 8th fairway close to draiage ditch Steep path up to 12th gree Tree roots are protrudig ad are ow a trip hazard Ditch bak is erodig towards the path Spread more surface dressig Re-eforce ditch bak edge ad re-level Four Life Belts Aroud the Edge of the Lake by 15th gree Number 3 belt is missig Replace asap 20 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

21 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Chapter 3.1 Itroductio to golf course machiery ad equipmet Legislatio: Provisio ad Use of Work Equipmet Regulatios 1998 (PUWER) Liftig Operatios ad Liftig Equipmet Regulatios 1998 (LOLER) What does it cover: Work equipmet is defied as ay machiery, appliace, apparatus, tool or istallatio used at work. O a golf course work equipmet will iclude; tractors, work vehicles; (ATV s, buggies ad work trucks), self propelled machiery; (mowers), pedestria cotrolled machiery; (mowers ad turf maiteace machiery), had held machiery; (strimmers, chai saws), had tools, workshop equipmet ad fixed equipmet for example irrigatio equipmet. Liftig equipmet icludes; tractor loaders, fork lift trucks, excavators, work platforms, various pieces of workshop equipmet icludig; machiery lifts, hydraulic jacks, axle stads, egie craes, liftig sligs, climbig ad fall arrest equipmet. Type of Machie/Operatio tractors self propelled machiery (mowers, ATV s, Work Vehicles) pedestria cotrolled machiery attachig machiery to tractors ad work vehicles loadig machiery oto trailers ad vehicles struck by tractors, self propelled machiery ad work vehicles trapped whe operatig pedestria cotrolled machiery ay had held ad pedestria cotrolled machiery, for example; chaisaws, strimmers, hedge cutters, mowers, turf maiteace machiery, metal ad stoe gridig ad cuttig equipmet. Relevat Hazards Loss of Cotrol, overturig o slopes, ito bukers or ditches Exposure to oise Exposure to Vibratio (whole body ad had/arm) Crushed by machiery Slips, trips ad falls Exposure to oise Exposure to Vibratio (had/arm) chais, belts, power take off (PTO) shafts Etaglemet i movig machiery parts mower blades Cuts from blades ad sharp objects hydraulic systems, coolig systems Cotact with fluids uder pressure Ijuries caused by machiery The majority of fatal ad serious accidets o golf courses are related to the use of machiery. There are a wide rage of mechaical hazards that may affect operators, other staff workig i the area, golfers ad the geeral public. Table 1 (opposite) Idetifies typical hazards resultig from the use of machiery o the golf course. rotary mowers, strimmers Ejected objects (stoes, golf balls, fir coes) The mai requiremets of the provisio ad use of work equipmet regulatio (PUWER) ad liftig operatios ad liftig equipmet regulatios (LOLER) are outlied i the followig paragraphs o the ext page. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 21

22 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Safe ad suitable equipmet Whe plaig to purchase additioal machiery it must be CE marked ad be fit for purpose, particularly if you are purchasig machiery for a specific purpose for example if a self propelled mower is required to operate o slopes the maufacturers specificatio for the machie should state that it is able to operate safely i these coditios. The features of the machie will vary widely but cosideratio should be give to low cetre of gravity, four wheel drive, ad suitable tyres. I additio the machie may require roll over protectio (ROP s) ad seat belts to be fitted ad used. (Further iformatio i chapter 3.6). Maiteace of Machiery ad Equipmet Regular maiteace of machiery to the stadard specified by the maufacturer is essetial. The aim is to esure the safety of the operator ad others who may be affected by the safety of the machie ad also to protect the log term coditio of the machie. Maiteace should be carried out at itervals ad to stadards specified by the maufacturer; records should be kept of the work carried out ad parts fitted. The type of work that is carried out will deped o the staff ad facilities available at the golf course, i all cases operators or workshop staff should carry out basic daily maiteace ad safety checks o the machie, more complex work should be carried out by traied fitters either employed by the golf club or from specialist cotractors. May Golf Course are ow usig pre use check lists to esure that operators are carryig out appropriate checks prior to usig the machie, a example is give i appedix 5. Markig Cotrols Moder machiery may have complex operator cotrol systems, ivolvig hydraulics, mechaical compoets, trasmissios ad steerig systems. The cotrols may be operated by feet ad/or hads, some of these cotrols may be multi fuctioal. It is therefore essetial that operators are aware of the fuctio of all cotrols o machies, iformatio regardig cotrols may be available i operators mauals but it is also a requiremet that cotrols are clearly marked o the machie. Also if the machie had to be stopped i a emergecy could a perso who was ot familiar with machie carry out this task? These criteria are usually achieved by the use of stadard sigs ad decals. If these become lost or wor they should be replaced. that maufactures desig ito the machie safety systems that reduce the likelihood (risk) of operators gettig i cotact with the movig parts of the machie or loosig cotrol of the machie. This is usually achieved by the use of: operator presece cotrols, such as seat switches o rideo mowers ad some other self propelled machiery dead ma s hadles o pedestria cotrolled machies throttle locks o had held machies that require two haded operatio Operators should always check that the safety systems are workig correctly before usig the machie (pre-use safety checks). Methods of checkig safety systems will vary from machie to machie; operators should always be able to check i the operators istructio book to fid the relevat iformatio. Safety systems should ever be discoected or iterfered with i ay way that may reder them iactive. Operators should ot start machiery or use ay cotrols uless they are seated or workig i the correct operatig positio. Machiery should always be left i a safe coditio ad should ot be able to be started by uauthorised people, i.e. the safe stop procedure that icludes the removal of the keys. Further Iformatio HSE Publicatios Tractor Actio Usig work equipmet safely I the drivig seat Buyig ew machiery a short guide Simple guide to the Provisio ad use of work equipmet regulatios 1998 HSE Website: Chapter 3.2 Workshops ad Maiteace Facilities Safety Systems The complex ature of golf course machiery makes it essetial 22 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

23 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Workshops ad maiteace areas are ofte i ope areas withi a traditioal mai storage shed layout. Moder maiteace facilities, if budget ad space allows, ca be a separate area desiged for maiteace work activities oly. It is importat that access to these areas is restricted to those with resposibility for carryig out the work. Maiteace staff must esure that floor areas are kept clear to reduce risks of slips, trips ad falls ad avoid the temptatio to use the work areas as additioal storage space for work equipmet. What you eed to do All liftig equipmet should be ispected by the user i accordace with the maufactures istructios o a regular basis. I additio it should be subjected to a thorough examiatio by a competet perso at least aually ad i the case of persoel lifts (MEWP s work cage ad platforms) this will be at least every six moths. The thorough examiatio of equipmet is usually a requiremet of isurers, who may provide the ispectio service, it is however the resposibility of the golf course maagemet to esure that this is carried out ad that appropriate records are kept. Esure that staff are properly traied to use liftig equipmet, this may mea that staff require a certificate of competece to operate the equipmet. Compressed Air Compressed air is used to iflate vehicle tyres, blowig dust ad dirt from machiery ad compoets ad to power compressed air had tools; drills, griders, ad air wreches. Liftig Equipmet: May golf courses ad workshops use various items of liftig equipmet these may iclude: The mai hazards with the use of compressed air ad air powered tools are as follows: f ailure of the air receiver (air tak o the compressor) causig a explosio failure of tyres due to over iflatio or damage compressed air peetratig ski ihalatio of dust cold burs from air powered tools exhaust vets cotact with movig parts of air powered tools O the golf course tractor frot loaders fork lift trucks ad telescopic hadlers ad their attachmets mobile elevated work platforms (MEWP s) strops, sligs ad liftig chais wiches I the workshop vehicle lifts jacks (trolley jacks ad bottle jacks ) egie craes ad craes used to liftig cuttig uits pallet trucks hydraulic work beches The mai hazards with the use of liftig equipmet are: icorrect use; overloadig collapse overturig, particularly with mobile equipmet like tractors ad fork lifts operators or others beig trapped Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 23

24 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT What you eed to do The compressor should be draied weekly to remove water vapour from the pressure vessel, this is usually achieved by switchig off the compressor, draiig the air from the receiver the opeig a small drai tap at the bottom of the air receiver, o some moder compressors this may be doe automatically, this fuctio should be maually checked from time to time. Compressor lubricatio should also be checked, refilled ad adjusted as required. is likely that hydraulic fluid will pucture the ski ad eter the blood stream, this ca lead to major ijuries or death. there may also be situatios were mechaisms will move uexpectedly whe hydraulic pressure is released, this will iclude; hydraulic drive mower cuttig uits, tippig trailers, other machiery with hydraulically activated mechaisms, machies/vehicles with hydraulic brakig systems. Always make sure that safety locks or heavy duty supports are i place whe dismatlig hydraulic systems or whe workig i areas where trappig or crushig could occur. The compressor ad pressure vessel will eed to have a ispectio by a competet perso at least aually, ispectio of equipmet is usually a requiremet of isurers, who may provide the ispectio service, it is however the resposibility of the golf course maagemet to esure that this is carried out ad that appropriate records are kept. It is also importat to check the safe operatio of ay tools, it is particularly importat to check that the air pressure ad flow rates ad supply hoses are correct for the tools beig used. Esure that staff are traied ad competet to use compressed air equipmet. Cotact with Hazardous Substaces Staff will ievitably come ito cotact with a umber of hazardous substaces. For example, fuels ad lubricats, cotamiated waste from machiery that has bee i use, fertilisers, pesticides, cleaig materials, pait, wood preservatives, disifectats, ad biological hazards. I some cases exposure to these substaces may cause serious ijury or ill health, allergic reactio or sesitisatio. Simple steps should be take to reduce the risk of exposure, these will iclude: carry out appropriate risk assessmets (The COSHH Regulatios) esure that staff are properly traied ad uderstad the potetial of the materials to cause harm use safe systems of work whe usig ad hadlig hazardous substaces issue appropriate protective clothig (PPE) ad esure that it is beig used esure that staff are carryig out persoal hygiee routies ad have available suitable barrier creams ad adequate washig facilities. Fluids uder pressure There are a umber of situatios with machiery maiteace where fluids may be released uder pressure, these will iclude: leaks from hydraulic systems; failure (burstig) of hydraulic pipes ad fittigs; i some cases leakage of high pressure fluid will be i a very fie stream (almost ivisible). If ski or eyes come ito cotact with this stream it Battery Chargig ad startig vehicles with flat batteries The mai hazard whe chargig batteries is explosio, due to the igitio of hydroge gas produced whe the battery is beig charged, ay igitio source (sparks, smokig, aked flames) is likely to cause a serious explosio of the hydroge gas which could cause the battery casig to disitegrate ad release the battery acid, with very serious cosequeces. Battery chargig should oly take place i well vetilated areas, away from all sources of igitio ad flammable substaces, staff should be properly traied i the use of chargig equipmet ad safe systems of work adopted. Where large umbers of vehicles are beig charged (work vehicles, mowers ad golf buggies) specialist chargig facilities must be istalled. Whe a machie has a flat battery the techique of jump startig is ofte used, either usig a spare battery or usig the battery o aother vehicle to provide the power. It is essetial that staff are properly traied to do this as the risk of fire, explosio ad or damage to either vehicles electrical system is very likely. Always check i the istructio maual for the correct method of jump startig ad idetify a safe workig procedure. Some vehicles are ow fitted with dedicated electrical sockets for jump startig so that the coectio directly oto the battery ca be avoided, this costs very little whe specifyig a ew vehicle ad ca save a lot of time ad moey. 24 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

25 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Dust ad Fumes Typical sources of dust iclude: sweepig the floor of the workshop mixig ad spreadig soil ad compost applyig fertilisers ad servicig distributors cleaig dried grass ad other debris from machiery cuttig ad gridig All the above machies are very dagerous if staff are ot properly traied to use them, it is a legal requiremet (Provisio ad Use of Work Equipmet Regulatios (PUWER)) that ayoe fittig a abrasive wheel must be traied, competet ad a appoited perso. All these situatios will produce differet types of dust ad differet quatities. Exposure to high cocetratios of dust may cause damage to the respiratory system ad i some cases cause sesitisatio ad ca have serious log term effects o health Where possible reduce the amout of dust produced, look at how machiery is cleaed, reduce the amout of dust created ad cosider usig dust masks to reduce the amout of dust that is take ito the respiratory system. Fumes are produced by: vehicle exhausts weldig ad cuttig battery chargig (see above) pait sprayig Gridig machies will produce: dust oise vibratio risk of serious ijury if cotact is made with the cuttig or gridig wheel risk of ijury (eye damage) from sparks ad debris risk of fire from hot particles ejected from the machies Actio should be take to make sure that staff are traied ad competet to use the machies ad that all guardig is i place. Chapter 3.3 Hadlig ad Storage of Fuel ad Oil A wide rage of fuels ad lubricatig oils are used o golf courses. There are potetial hazards to users from these hazardous substaces ad this is covered i more detail i the sectio o Occupatioal Health. All fumes from the above sources are potetially dagerous ad activities producig the fumes should oly be carried out i well vetilated areas, i some cases it will be ecessary to istall fume extractio equipmet, particularly if the activity is carried out o a regular basis or for a log time. Gridig Machies Gridig machies of various types are commoly used i greekeepig: had held, cuttig off machies ad agle griders bech or pedestal mouted machies machie griders for sharpeig mower cyliders, bottom blades ad rotary mower blades Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 25

26 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT The mai hazards from the hadlig ad storage of fuel ad oil are: evirometal damage from spillage ad leakage fire ad explosio cotamiatio of materials, ad turf areas occupatioal health from cotact with hazardous substaces The mai types of fuel ad oil that are used o a golf course are: diesel fuel for tractors, mowers ad work vehicles petrol for pedestria cotrolled mowers, had held machiery (strimmers, hedge cutters ad chai saws) lubricatig oils - for egies, trasmissio ad hydraulic systems waste oils ad filters Legislatio Cotrol of Substaces Hazardous to Health Regulatios 2002 (as ameded)(coshh) Oil Storage Regulatios 2001 (lubricatig oils ad diesel fuel) (Eforced by Eviromet Agecy) Dagerous Substaces ad Explosive Atmospheres Regulatios 2002 (DSEAR) The mai requiremets of the legislatio are as follows: That fuels ad oil are hadled ad stored safely. Diesel fuel is geerally delivered i bulk by road taker ad suitable arragemets for access to the storage tak should be provided by the golf club. The bulk storage of diesel fuel ca be achieved by the use of a approved double skied tak or a buded tak, sited i a low risk positio (away from flammable materials, drais, water courses, possible impact from vehicles ad other high risk areas) the fuel hose ad ozzle should also be buded ad secure to reduce the risk of theft ad vadalism. Petrol is usually hadled i smaller quatities, it is ofte collected from a local garage by meas of a road vehicle usig approved cotaiers (jerry cas), it is essetial that the costructio of the trasport vehicle is suitable for the purpose, usually with a bulkhead betwee the fuel ad the drivers cab, ideally the fuel should be trasported i a closed metal chest securely fixed to the vehicle, the petrol cotaiers should be securely held i the vehicle. Storage o site should be i a secure metal cotaier (flam bi), this should be sited i a low risk eviromet with good access. O some large golf courses bulk petrol storage may be i place, this is always doe i udergroud taks. This is a very expesive ad complex udertakig ad the detail is beyod the scope of this Guide. A clearly defied re-fuellig area should be idetified, close to the fuel storage area. Re-fuellig should ot be carried out iside buildigs. Great care should always be take whe re-fuellig machies at the work site. Traiig i the safe hadlig of fuel should be a part of ew employee iductio traiig with emphasis o usig the correct size of cotaier for the task usig fuels ad/or a pourig spout fixed to the cotaier. Fuel should always be stored away from the work area ad machies allowed to cool dow before re-fuellig. Lubricatig ad hydraulic oil is usually stored i large returable drums, they should agai be stored i a safe locatio, the Oil Storage Regulatios 2001 require that all oil storage cotaiers are stored i a buded area i may cases the drums are stored o buded pallets. I all cases arragemets should also be i place for dealig with emergecies (spills, fire, persoal cotamiatio), this ca be achieved by the use of spill cotrol kits ad fire fightig equipmet. Staff should also be traied i emergecy procedures. Arragemets should be i place for the safe storage ad disposal of waste oil, filters ad other waste materials resultig from machiery servicig operatios. This is usually achieved by storig oil i drums or bulk taks ad the filters i a secure leak free cotaier, prior to beig collected by a approved waste disposal cotractor. Key areas to esure compliace with legislatio are: carry out a risk assessmet of ay work activities ivolvig dagerous substaces; provide measures to elimiate or reduce risks as far as is reasoably practicable provide equipmet ad procedures to deal with accidets ad emergecies; provide arragemets for the safe disposal of waste oil ad filters provide iformatio ad traiig to employees; Further Iformatio: Safe Use ad Hadlig of Flammable Liquids HSG l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

27 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Chapter 3.4 Noise Legislatio: Cotrol of Noise at Work Regulatios 2005 What does it cover? Requires employers to prevet or reduce risks to health ad safety from exposure to oise at work. Sigificat Hazards: Loss of hearig ad possible deafess The Regulatios require the employer to: assess the risks to employees from exposure to oise at work; take actio to reduce the oise exposure that produces those risks; provide employees with hearig protectio if you caot reduce the oise exposure eough by usig other methods; make sure the legal limits o oise exposure are ot exceeded; provide employees with iformatio, istructio ad traiig; carry out health surveillace where there is a risk to health. But hearig loss is usually gradual because of prologed exposure to oise. It may oly be whe damage caused by oise over the years combies with hearig loss due to ageig that you realise how deaf you have become. This may mea your family complais about the televisio beig too loud, you caot keep up with coversatios i a group, or you have trouble usig the telephoe. Evetually everythig becomes muffled ad you fid it difficult to catch souds like t, d ad 5, so you cofuse similar words. Hearig loss is ot the oly problem. You may also develop tiitus (rigig, whistlig, buzzig or hummig i the ears), a distressig coditio that ca lead to disturbed sleep. The Noise at Work Regulatios require you to take actio at certai oise levels, these relate to: the levels of exposure to oise of employees averaged over a workig day or week maximum oise to which employees are exposed i a workig day The values are: lower exposure actio value - daily or weekly exposure of 80 db - peak soud pressure of 135 db upper exposure actio value - daily or weekly exposure of 85 db - peak soud pressure of 137 db There are also levels of oise exposure that must ot be exceeded: exposure limit values - daily or weekly exposure of 87 db - peak soud pressure of 140 db Employees should comply with iformatio provided by employers ad also iformatio provided by machiery maufacturers i istructio mauals ad o machies. Employees should always wear hearig protectio whe required to. Hearig protectio should also be ispected for damage ad cleaed regularly. How is oise measured? Noise is measured i decibels (db). A A-weightig writte as db(a), is used to measure average oise levels, ad a C-weightig or db(c), to measure peak, impact or explosive oises. Hearig loss Noise at work ca cause hearig loss, which ca be temporary or permaet. You may ofte experiece temporary deafess after leavig a oisy place. Although hearig recovers withi a few hours, this should ot be igored. It is a sig that if you cotiue to be exposed to the oise your hearig could be permaetly damaged. Permaet hearig damage ca be caused immediately by sudde, extremely loud, explosive oises, e.g. from gus or cartridge-operated machies. Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 27

28 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT O the golf course, high risk oise levels are foud maily from the use of machiery, particularly where the operator is usig the machie for a log period of time. Typical examples iclude: ride o machiery; mowers, buker rakes, utility vehicles tractors, if tractors are fitted with cabs, the oise levels will geerally be below the actio levels, however if the tractor is operated with doors or widows ope the the oise levels are likely to be much higher, if tractors are used with oisy machiery (leaf blowers ad sweepers) the the oise of the attached machie should also be cosidered had held machiery; strimmers, blowers, hedge cutters, chai saws pedestria cotrolled machiery; mowers, scarifiers static machiery; particularly cylider griders Risk Assessmet You will eed to idetify where there may be a risk from oise ad who is likely to be affected; your risk assessmet should: cotai a reliable estimate of your employees exposures, ad compare the exposure with the exposure actio values ad limit values; idetify what you eed to do to comply with the law, e.g. whether oise-cotrol measures or hearig protectio are eeded, ad, if so, where ad what type; idetify ay employees who eed to be provided with health surveillace ad whether ay are at particular risk. It is essetial that you ca show that your estimate of employees exposure is represetative of the work that they do. It eeds to take accout of: the work they do or are likely to do; the ways i which they do the work; ad how it might vary from oe day to the ext Your estimate must be based o reliable iformatio, e.g. measuremets i your ow workplace, iformatio from other workplaces similar to yours, or data from suppliers of machiery. You must record the fidigs of your risk assessmet. You eed to record, i a actio pla, aythig you idetify as beig ecessary to comply with the law, settig out what you have doe ad what you are goig to do, with a timetable ad sayig who will be resposible for the work. Review your risk assessmet if circumstaces i your workplace chage ad affect oise exposures. Also review it regularly to make sure that you cotiue to do all that is reasoably practicable to cotrol the oise risks. Eve if it appears that othig has chaged, you should ot leave it for more tha about two years without checkig whether a review is eeded. use of egieerig cotrols; cabs with soud proofig o machiery, correct maiteace ad adjustmet of machiery reduce exposure time provide hearig protectio Recommeded Actio: cosider purchasig equipmet with low oise levels provide traiig for staff, idetifyig high risk activities ad what is expected of staff to miimise their persoal oise exposure idetify hearig protectio zoes, i.e. areas where the use of hearig protectio is compulsory, ad mark them with sigs; provide your employees with hearig protectio ad make sure they use them properly whe their oise exposure exceeds the exposure actio values; provide your employees with traiig ad iformatio o how to use ad care for the hearig protectors; esure that the hearig protectors are properly used ad maitaied; provide health surveillace (audiometry) Further Iformatio: HSE Website: Chapter 3.5 Vibratio Legislatio: The Vibratio at Work Regulatios 2005 What does it cover? Exposure to vibratio, this may be had arm vibratio, (HAV), usually associated with the pedestria cotrolled ad had held equipmet or whole body vibratio, (WBV), usually associated with ride o ad self propelled machiery. Sigificat Hazards: Had arm vibratio sydrome (HAVS) Whole Body Vibratio (WBV) Workers, whose hads are regularly exposed to high vibratio levels durig the use of had-held, powered machiery may suffer from several kids of ijury to the hads ad arms. Collectively, these ijuries are kow as Had-Arm Vibratio Sydrome (HAVS). The risk of ijury from HAVS will deped o the frequecy rage of the vibratio, its magitude, ad importatly, the legth of time a perso is exposed. How ca you reduce oise exposure? (i order of preferece) use of quieter machiery; low oise purchasig policy, electric power for mowers, LPG gas powered egies 28 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

29 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Had-Arm Vibratio Sydrome (HAVS) Had-Arm Vibratio Sydrome is a geeral term used to describe various kids of adverse health effects icludig: Vascular disorders geerally kow as vibratio-iduced white figer (VWF) causig impaired blood circulatio ad blachig of affected figers ad parts of the had; Neurological ad muscular damage leadig to umbess ad tiglig i the figers ad hads, reduced grip, stregth ad dexterity, ad reduced sesitivity both of touch ad to temperature; Other possible kids of damage leadig to pai ad stiffess i the hads ad joits of the wrist, elbows ad shoulders. These forms of damage ad the factors cotributig to them are less well uderstood tha the vascular ad eurological effects. Symptoms of HAVS I the first stages of vibratio ijury, the idividual may otice a tiglig sesatio or pis ad eedles i their figers, cotiued exposure could develop ito attacks where the figers become white whe exposed to the cold. This progresses to a coditio where i cold weather the figers rapidly become pale ad lose feelig, followed by a itese red flush, accompaied by ucomfortable throbbig whe the blood returs to the figers. More severe forms ca ivolve frequet attacks i cold weather, lastig up to a hour, whe cosiderable pai ad loss of dexterity is experieced. (magitude) the tool produces, it is worth poitig out that it is better to break up periods of exposure tha have log cotiuous periods of use. The magitude of vibratio. The greater the level of vibratio a powered tool produces; quoted i m/s2 the greater the risk from HAVS. Other factors iclude: The grip a perso must apply to the hadle/s will affect the likelihood of exposure. The tighter the grip, the more vibratio eergy is trasmitted to the had/s. Also, how much of the had is exposed to the vibratio will have a effect. Idividual susceptibility. People may suffer aturally from a disorder of the blood vessels, i which exposure to cold causes the small arteries that supply the figers ad toes to cotract. This gives rise to symptoms of whiteig of the extremities, tiglig ad pai with exposure to cold, the coditio is kow as Rayaud s Disease. Factors affectig blood circulatio to the figers such as outside temperature ad smokig. Smokig is kow to restrict blood circulatio ad will icrease the risk. Whole Body Vibratio (WBV) This aspect of vibratio is maily caused by the use of self-propelled machiery; golf courses geerally use moder machiery, which has relatively low levels of vibratio. If older machiery is used this may have much higher levels of vibratio ad limits o exposure time. The mai causes of whole body vibratio are: travelig at high speed particularly o vehicles without suspesio travelig o rough groud roads ad tracks O moder machiery there will be a umber of solutios to whole body vibratio problems, these iclude: Factors affectig the risk of HAVS There are several factors that affect the risk of a perso sufferig HAVS. The mai factors are: The frequecy at which a had-held tool vibrates. Vibratio with a frequecy of about 2 to 1500 hertz (cycles per secod or Hz) is potetially damagig; the most hazardous rage is betwee 5 ad 20 Hz. The frequecy ad duratio of use. The legth of time a perso ca use a vibratig tool will deped o the level of vibratio Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 29

30 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT vehicle suspesio systems, axle ad cab suspesio low pressure tyres air suspesio operator seats Recommeded Actio: whe purchasig ew machiery, give cosideratio to the vibratio level give by the maufacturer, low levels of vibratio should be oe of the factors to be cosidered whe selectig machiery redesig tasks so that usig had held machiery is reduced or avoided for existig machiery idetify vibratio levels for each machie, this may be doe either by havig vibratio levels measured o site or by usig maufacturers data, to be foud i the operators maual (esure that maufacturers data used is represetative of vibratio levels foud i workig machies o golf courses) usig the HSE Vibratio Ready Reckoer, calculate safe exposure times for each machie where several machies are to be used i a sigle day, calculate idividual exposure levels ad calculate the total vibratio dose for the day cosider reducig vibratio exposure by chagig activities ad job rotatio make sure that machiery is properly maitaied, key areas will be replacig ati vibratio moutigs o machiery ad esurig that blades are correctly balaced o rotary mowers ad strimmers Further Iformatio: HSE Website: Chapter 3.6 Workig o Slopes Usig Ride-o, Self Propelled, ad Pedestria Operated Work Equipmet Tractors ad self propelled machiery ca overtur or lose cotrol, whe workig o slopes, ueve groud, ear ditches or bukers. Icorrect loadig, weight distributio, poor or icorrect maiteace, turig o slopes ad usafe drivig practices will icrease the risk of a overtur or loss of cotrol accidet. Remember there is o such thig as a safe slope. Operatig o grass slopes requires particular care as grass is likely to be very slippery especially whe wet. It is essetial that a risk assessmet is carried out to reduce the likelihood of accidets occurrig o slopes, typically the process o a golf course would cover the followig: idetifyig areas where steep slopes, ueve groud, ditches, bukers are likely to cause problems idetifyig aggravatig features, poor sight lies o approach to a slope, steep slope that leads to a buker or water hazard, weather hazards; ice, sow, wet grass measurig the agle of the slopes idetifyig o go areas for machiery idetifyig which machies may operate safely i specific areas, this will ivolve referece to maufacturers iformatio for slope limits for idividual machies ad referece to roll over protectio structures (ROP s) ad seat belts esurig that machiery is maitaied to maufacturers specificatio traiig staff to operate machiery safely o slopes devisig safe workig practices for each machie ad hazardous area moitorig staff, operatig procedures ad ay icidets that may occur (see sectio o accidet ad icidet reportig) Tractors are required to be fitted with a safety cab; roll frame or roll bar (Referece: Agricultural Tractor Cabs Regulatios 1974). These will give the driver some protectio i the evet of a overtur, however if there is a risk of ijury to the operator due to cotact with the cab durig a overtur the seat belts or other restraiig system should be fitted ad wor. Self propelled machiery (mowers, turf maiteace machies, dumpers, excavators ad work vehicles) should also be fitted with roll over protectio (ROP s) if there is a risk of the machie overturig (Referece: Provisio ad Use of Work Equipmet Regulatios 1998). With these machies it is essetial that seat belts are also fitted ad wor, as i the evet of a overtur the operator would be likely to be throw from the seat ad be crushed by the machie or its roll over protectio. The exceptio to this is the sit astride All Terrai Vehicle (ATV s) where it would be impractical to fit roll over protectio, the cotrols used i this example are the requiremet for operators to be traied ad competet ad that they wear head protectio. a motor cycle crash helmet complyig with BS 1384 or a ATV helmet or other head protectio which meets BS EN1384:1997 Usig had held ad pedestria cotrolled machiery o slopes may also be hazardous. Problem areas will iclude: operators slippig o the slope, this may lead to ijuries directly associated with the fall ad also from makig cotact with movig parts o the machie e.g. mower blades, strimmers lies ad blades ad hedge cutter blades icreased risk of operator ijury due to workig o slopes, these will geerally affect akles ad kees but may also 30 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

31 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT have a adverse effect o back, ecks ad shoulders the machie slidig or overturig o the slope icreased risk of objects beig ejected from the machie Operators should be adequately traied, particularly to recogise potetially dagerous situatios. The traiig should emphasise the eed for care ad cocetratio whe workig with tractors ad self propelled machiery ad, i particular, the importace of payig attetio to chages i groud coditios, e.g. potholes, gravel or the turig circle load ad speed which may affect the safety of the operatio. Routie checks ad maiteace will help to esure that: brakes o tractors ad self propelled machiery are correctly adjusted ad workig efficietly. Idepedet brakes should be liked wheever braked steerig is ot required; ay safety devices or warig systems are operatig correctly steerig is maitaied so that there is o excessive free movemet ad o uecessary play o the frot wheel bearigs; tyres are iflated to the correct pressure ad have adequate tread. They should ot be used if they have suffered damage, which could affect their safe use. Further Iformatio: HSE Website: Chapter 3.7 Tractors Tractors are used as multi purpose power uits o golf courses, they ca be fitted with a wide rage of attachmets icludig: trailers, for trasport work ad trailed machiery frot ad rear likage mouted equipmet, icludig mowers, fertiliser spreaders, sprayers, turf maiteace machiery power take off (PTO) drive equipmet frot loaders with a rage of attachmets Due to the wide rage of tasks that are udertake with tractors it is essetial that they are maitaied i good workig order, are used by traied operators, ad that attachmets ad equipmet used with the tractor are matched to the power output ad liftig capacity of the tractor. The tyres should also be suitable for the tasks ad the tyres iflated to the correct workig pressures. It may be ecessary to use additioal weights to maitai stability, at the frot of the tractor whe usig heavy rear mouted equipmet ad at the back of the tractor whe usig a frot loader attachmet. Hitchig trailers ad machies to tractors are potetially dagerous activities, there are may examples of drivers ad others beig trapped betwee the tractor ad the machie durig the attachmet process. A greekeeper had a serious accidet whe he lost cotrol of the tractor ad trailer he was drivig while descedig a slopig track. The trailer (rated at 4 toes) was loaded with turf; the tractor a 35hp compact, was fitted with turf tyres ad there was o trailer brakig system. The accidet ivestigatios idetified that the trailer was too heavy for the tractor ad that the ieffective brakig system were the mai causes of the accidet. The use of pick up hitches o tractors ad trailers ad automatic couplig devices o tractors ad three poit likage mouted equipmet will help to reduce the risk of trappig ad crushig accidets, however these are ot always available ad safe workig practices are essetial whe this type of work is beig carried out. Safe workig practices will iclude: ot allowig ayoe ito the dager area betwee the tractor ad the trailer or implemet whe the egie is ruig safe stop procedure always carried out make sure that the trailer or implemet caot move or fall over durig the attachmet process whe liftig likage arms or PTO shafts be able to get ito a good liftig positio, avoid twistig ad stoopig A greekeeper suffered a broke leg, broke ribs ad iteral ijuries whe he was trapped betwee a tractor rear wheel ad a sprayer that he was helpig to attach oto the rear likage of the tractor. The driver s foot slipped off the clutch pedal while reversig up to the sprayer, the ijured greekeeper was i the dager area behid the tractor rear wheel, assistig the driver to get the machie oto the tractor by holdig the lower lik arm i the correct positio. Power Take Off (PTO) Equipmet People are regularly killed or seriously ijured i accidets ivolvig power take offs (PTO s) ad PTO shafts. May of these accidets would have bee preveted if the PTO ad PTO shaft had bee correctly fitted ad equipped with suitable guards, which were properly used ad maitaied, ad if safe workig practices were used, i.e. safe start ad stoppig procedures. A tractor PTO ad the PTO shaft of a machie ca be extremely dagerous ad require guardig uless safe by positio ad should ever be approached whe i motio or use. The guard ad the PTO shaft should be ispected ad properly maitaied. Regular lubricatio i accordace with the maufacturer s istructios is also importat. If the guard is damaged i ay way, the machie should be take out of service util a ew guard is fitted. Further Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 31

32 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT iformatio o the guardig of PTO s ad PTO shafts is give i the free HSE leaflet Power take-off ad power take-off shafts. May tractors, i.e. the type used for grass maiteace, have frot is fitted with a blade brake ad/or a dead ma hadle to stop the rotatio of the blades whe the power is discoected. ad mid-mouted PTO drive facility as well as a rear PTO. The PTO drives may be iterlocked, i.e. a perso must sit o the drivig seat before you ca drive the machie; if such safety devices are fitted they must work. Particular attetio should be give to the safe operatio ad maiteace of these devices (Ref HSE Guide AS24(rev). Chapter 3.8 Mowers A wide rage of mowers are used o golf courses ad they vary from semi-mouted tractor trailed or gag mowers to specially desiged self-propelled equipmet. Mowers may be groud drive or powered through the tractor PTO, drive by vee belts or hydraulic motors. Some self-propelled mowers are fitted with tyres without a tread patter (slicks) for use o golf grees, because of their lack of grip i certai situatios they should be drive very carefully at all times. Mower blades are sharp ad ca cause accidets. These usually occur whe carryig out maiteace or clearig blockages ad it is importat that staff are traied ad competet to carry out the task. Rotary ad flail mower blades ca detach themselves if ot properly fitted ad maitaied or whe ot chaged at itervals specified by maufacturers. All self-propelled mowers are desiged to esure that the blades cease to rotate whe the operator leaves the drivig seat. Safety checks for the correct operatio of these safety devices should be carried out regularly to esure that they work correctly. It is importat to check that the blades have stopped rotatig (rudow time) before ay adjustmet is carried out o the machie. I all cases if ay adjustmet is required to or ear the blades the machie should be switched off ad, if ecessary, the power supply isolated. This also applies to smaller pedestria-cotrolled mowers. Pedestria-cotrolled rotary mowers are particularly hazardous if allowed to rotate whe the machie is statioary. Whe buyig a ew pedestria-cotrolled rotary mower esure that it Rotary mowers preset a particular hazard if the guards aroud the blade are removed or damaged. The hover type of mower which is ofte used to cut steep baks is also dagerous if ot used accordig to the maufacturer s istructios. Steep baks should ot be cut with rigid bladed rotary mowers. There have bee a umber of serious ijuries to operators who have slipped whe operatig o a steep slope. If operators slip it is possible for their feet to slide uder the mower ad come i cotact with the rotatig blades. Wearig steel toe capped boots with good grip will help to prevet serious ijuries. Greekeepers will use a rage of differet types of mower, possibly i the same workig day, ad it is essetial that they are competet to use each type. Havig a record of who is traied ad competet to use what machie (The Greekeepers Traiig Committee Wallchart is a ideal way to show this as a referece poit for staff) is essetial together with records of the traiig that was carried out. Iductio ad o-the-job traiig are two vital elemets i esurig staff have the skills they eed to work safely ad efficietly (see also Chapter 1.8 Employig Youg Persos). Chapter 3.9 Workig i, o, or ear water Itroductio Workig o or ear deep or fast flowig water creates hazards additioal to those ormally ecoutered whe workig o a golf course, therefore special precautios must be observed. The followig geeric priciples ad stadards must be applied as rigidly as possible, together with ay precautios highlighted by site specific risk assessmets where the risk of drowig exists. Potetial Hazards Drowig Fallig from baks or off boats due to slippig, over-balacig or over-reachig. Over-fillig boats, causig capsizig. Maual hadlig, e.g. liftig, twistig, bedig or pullig etc. Iclemet weather. Access ad egress to the work area. 32 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

33 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Protectio of the public. Security of equipmet, e.g. do ot allow childre to play with or ride o ay boat, or ay other vessel. Do ot leave ay equipmet uatteded. Ifectios Major Causes of Drowig Uguarded access to water hazard. Disregard or misjudgemet of the hazard. Iability to swim or cope whe a problem occurs. Lack of supervisio. Icapacity due to illess or ijury etc. that may ihibit self-rescue. Absece of life jacket or other life savig equipmet. Usuitable boat or craft from which to carry out work. Foolig about (horseplay). Workig o steep slopes ear to water without suitable safety lies. Drivig self propelled work equipmet too close to the edge ad slippig, possibly overturig, ito the water. Bad weather coditios. Ski cacer (Subur) Pre Work Precautios The objective is for the work force, ad ay other visitig workers, to have a geeral awareess of the hazard locatios ad precautios ad for appropriate employees to have specific istructios. Special precautios must be take where operatives have to go or work close to the waters edge, or iside feces or guards aroud the water, or i ay situatio where they might fall ito water. This applies to regular, occasioal ad oe off tasks. The best precautio is to provide guards or feces, which would prevet falls ito the water. For regular tasks or visits permaet guards should be istalled. For occasioal or oe off tasks, temporary barriers may be more appropriate. Locatios This should iclude the cosideratio of the followig: Type of locatio e.g. river, stream, lake, steep baks, access. Nature of the water e.g. fast flowig, deep, clea, polluted, cotaiig debris. Type of boat to be used e.g. motorised, ma hadled, large or small. Mapower required to do the job safely. Are there o go zoes alog the edges of baks whe usig ride-o work equipmet. Are guard rails or warig sigs required to alert other workers, visitors or members of the public. Risks of Exposure to: Hepatitis B & C Tetaus Toxocariasis Dermatitis Weils Disease (Leptospirosis) If fecig or guardig is ot reasoable or practicable, the persoel cocered must either wear a safety haress ad be roped back to a secure poit or wear approved life jackets, or both, as circumstaces demad, ad adequate rescue equipmet must be provided close to had. Persos workig aloe should wear a approved life jacket irrespective of other precautios i this paragraph. I appropriate circumstaces, e.g. high baks, a meas to assist the member of staff to climb out of the water o their ow should be provided. Ay perso goig i a boat or workig o the ier slope of a embakmet must wear a life jacket. Additioal precautios may be ecessary i the form of safety lies ad haress whe workig afloat. Vehicle ad pedestria routes must be kept as far away from the waters edge as is practicable. Routes must be siged or barriers erected where ecessary. O arrow tracks oe way systems should be used where possible. Where water is flowig sufficietly fast to carry a perso away the additioal safeguard of hagig a chai or rope approx. 50mm Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 33

34 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT above the water at a poit dowstream of the workplace is recommeded. Safety ad rescue equipmet All safety ad rescue equipmet must be of a approved type, suitable for its purpose ad routiely ispected ad maitaied. Ispectio, Maiteace ad Traiig Safety ad Rescue equipmet should be maitaied ad serviced at the itervals recommeded by the maufacturer. More frequet checks o geeral coditio ad serviceability will be dictated by the eviromet i which equipmet is used ad the workig treatmet it receives. As a geeral rule mothly checks will be sufficiet uless use is frequet or workig coditios rigorous. All persos required to use life jackets ad/or safety haress shall be istructed i their use, pre-use checks ad the cleaig ad storage arragemets. A Life Jacket Ca Save Your Life Kow where you must use oe, this will always iclude work ear or over uguarded deep or fast flowig water. Kow how to wear it. Kow how to check it. Kow how to store it. Kow how it works. Your employer should be able to provide further iformatio ad traiig for specific situatios where Chapter 3.10 The Use of Persoal Protective Equipmet (PPE) Persoal Protective Equipmet (PPE) is defied as ay equipmet that is iteded to be wor or held by a perso at work, which protects agaist hazards, it will iclude: safety boots eye protectio (glasses, visors) head protectio hearig protectio (ear defeders, ear plugs) respiratory protective equipmet (RPE) safety haresses gloves high visibility clothig weather protectio Persoal Protective Equipmet must be used where the risks to health ad safety caot be adequately cotrolled i other ways. You should make the work as safe as possible ad the if all the hazards are ot adequately cotrolled protective clothig should be used. The regulatios require that PPE: PPE is properly assessed for suitability is ispected ad maitaied correctly stored correctly a risk assessmet has idetified the eed. Do read the istructios which come with your life jacket. Refereces staff are provided with istructio o how to use the equipmet it is correctly used by employees Further Iformatio: Persoal Buoyacy Equipmet for Use o Ilad ad Ishore Waters (AIS 1). 34 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace HSE Website:

35 SECTION 3.0 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT Chapter 3.11 Electricity ad usig electrical equipmet The Electricity at Work Regulatios 1989 What does it cover? the electrical supply; this will iclude; trasformers, overhead ad udergroud supply cables, distributio systems ad switch gear, the electrical istallatio withi buildigs, icludig; sockets, switches ad other fittigs, power tools ad other portable appliaces Sigificat Hazards electrocutio fire Overhead lies ad udergroud cables Electricity ca flash over from overhead power lies to earby objects, for example, ladders, irrigatio pipes, trailers ad other high reach machiery, the results ca be fatal. There is particular dager to ayoe workig close to a overhead lie with: ladder pole pruer irrigatio pipes, icludig rai gus a tractor with a frot loader fork lift trucks loadig shovels tippig trailers ad lorries or ay other equipmet workig ear the lie. If sad, or other bulk material is delivered to the golf course, it is essetial that ay load is tipped at least 10 metres from ay lie to avoid the risk of possible cotact or flash over. Care also eeds to be take if diggig holes ad treches i case of buried live cables. It is essetial that the locatio of udergroud cables is idetified before usig mechaical diggers or trechers. This ca be achieved by the use of maps ad site plas, safe diggig or usig cable fidig equipmet. If ay doubt about cable locatio exists it is always advisable to cotact the regioal electricity compay before startig ay work close to overhead lies or buried cables. Fixed electrical istallatios All fixed electrical istallatios should be desiged, istalled, operated ad maitaied to prevet electrical dager. The Istitutio of Electrical Egieers (IEE) produces guidace o the costructio of fixed istallatios i buildigs ad elsewhere. This is ow i its sixteeth editio ad is called the Regulatios for electrical istallatios. This is recogised as a British Stadard (BS 7671:1992). It should be remembered that despite the title, these are ot a legal requiremet. The IEE also produces guidace o the ispectio ad testig of fixed istallatios. Portable equipmet Portable equipmet will eed maitaiig to esure that it is safe for use. All equipmet should be checked visually o a regular basis, to esure that cables are i good coditio, plugs are soud ad correctly attached ad fused ad the equipmet is i geeral good repair. These checks should be part of a ispectio programme but ca also be udertake by the user before ad durig use. However, o oe should carry out electrical work uless they have sufficiet kowledge to prevet dager to themselves or others. It is ot ecessary to employ a electricia to carry out the visual checks. Portable Appliace Testig (PAT). Testig of electrical equipmet by a competet perso is a legal requiremet. The tests cover the geeral coditio of the equipmet, cables, plugs, fuses, itegrity of the earthig system ad isulatio tests. Records should be kept of test results for each piece of equipmet, so that deterioratio of the coditio of the equipmet ca be idetified. The frequecy of testig equipmet depeds o the frequecy of use of the equipmet ad the coditios i which it is used, for example; office equipmet may be cosidered low risk ad may oly eed testig every 2 3 years, but a had held grider used i a workshop may be higher risk ad would eed to be tested more frequetly. Employers should carry out risk assessmets to idetify frequecy of testig The work may be carried out by a competet perso but is usually doe by a electrical cotractor Had-held electrical equipmet used outdoors, or where there is a lot of earthed metalwork, should where possible be supplied at reduced voltage, i.e. 110 volt cetre tapped earth (CTE) system from a safety isolatig trasformer. If this is ot possible the equipmet should be coected through a residual curret device (RCD), which will cut off the power quickly if there is a earth fault. Such a fault could result i someoe receivig a electric shock. The RCD should be checked regularly by pressig the test butto. Recommeded Actio carry out risk assessmets o all tools ad activities that use electricity or might ivolve cotact with electrical supply cables oly use approved electrical cotractors to carry out electrical work ad portable appliace testig carry out visual ispectio of electrical equipmet before use use low voltage equipmet ad/or circuit breakers where appropriate Further Iformatio HSE Guide INDG 236 Portable Appliace Testig HSE Guide INDG Electrical Safety ad You HSE Guide INDG 389 Shock Horror HSE website: Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 35

36 SECTION 4.0 WORKING AT HEIGHT Legislatio: Work at Height Regulatios 2005 The height where the legislatio applies is ot specified, therefore work at height should be cosidered as ay situatio where a perso could fall, this will iclude fall from ladders ad equipmet as well as falls o slopes ad baks ad ito pits or uguarded excavatios. Falls from height have the potetial to be a cause of fatal ad serious ijuries o golf courses. A fall eve a fall from less tha 2 metres ca result i fatal ijuries. Places where falls from height occur o golf courses Targetig risk assessmet at these areas will help reduce the risk of falls from height i the workplace. Steps ad Stairs a large umber of falls from height accidets ivolve people fallig dow stairs or from staircases, ofte whe the stairs are i poor coditio, or have materials left o them. Slips, trips ad falls o steps e.g. o tees ad baks are commo due to lack of a view whe carryig equipmet, poor footwear or due to wet coditios (sleeper steps). There ca be flights of stairs (sometimes they are home made ) iside the storage shed that give access to a loft or mezzaie storage area. They are used to carry materials (sacks, bags ad boxes) up ad dow sometimes where the view is obstructed by the load causig slips, trips ad falls over hidde objects of where footig is lost. Ladders I geeral the use of ladders should be avoided uless there is o other meas of providig access. Where temporary access is required, use of ladders ad step ladders should be carefully cosidered, ad oly used for short term access uless there are o practical alteratives. All ladders should be regularly ispected ad ay old ad/or damaged equipmet is disposed of safely. Vehicles ad trailers, trestles ad work platforms - falls from vehicles are also a cause of serious ijury, either from delivery vehicles or from machiery ad other ride-o vehicles. Greekeepers who eed to cut tall hedges have devised their ow systems based o usig steps ad trestles iside movig trailers attached to tractors. This is a usafe system of workig ad eeds to be replaced by the use of Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (kow as Cherry Pickers or MEWPS); ad/or usig exteded pole pruers. Bukers, ditches, baks, elevated tees, grees ad pits, some of the features o the golf course may preset dager to golfers, greekeepers ad others, i may cases these may be uprotected areas. Cosideratio should be give to the desig ad maiteace of these features to allow safe access, the equipmet to be used ad the wearig of the correct type of footwear. Rackig ad shelvig i stores - falls from storage rackig or shelves are also commo, where workers try to retrieve goods stored at high level by climbig up the rackig. Resposibilities The Regulatios require employers to esure: all work at height is properly plaed ad orgaised; all work at height takes accout of weather coditios that could edager health ad safety; those ivolved i work at height are traied ad competet; the place where work at height is doe is safe; equipmet for work at height is properly ispected at suitable itervals; the risks from fragile surfaces are properly cotrolled; ad the risks from fallig objects are properly cotrolled. Plaig: esure that o work is doe at height if it is safe ad reasoably practicable to do it other tha at height; esure that the work is properly plaed, appropriately supervised, ad carried out i as safe a way as is reasoably practicable; pla for emergecies ad rescue; carry out risk assessmets ad act o the fidigs. Staff traiig You must esure that everyoe ivolved i workig at height is competet (or, if beig traied, is directly supervised by a competet perso). This icludes ivolvemet i orgaisatio, plaig, supervisio, ad the supply ad maiteace of equipmet. Whe selectig equipmet for work at height you must: use the most suitable equipmet; give collective protectio measures (e.g. guard rails) priority over persoal protectio measures (e.g. safety haresses); Take accout of: the workig coditios; risks to the safety of all those at the place where the work equipmet is to be used. Further Iformatio: HSE Guide INDG Work at Height l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

37 SECTION 5.0 MANUAL HANDLING Legislatio: The Maual Hadlig of Loads Regulatios 1992 What does it cover?: Ay operatio that ivolves usig bodily force to move a object, this could iclude; liftig, lowerig, pushig, pullig or carryig. Examples o a golf course could iclude; hadlig bagged materials, tee mats, turf, machiery, movig machie compoets (cuttig uits ad groomers), startig machiery, carryig machiery; hedge cutters, strimmers, pushig barrows, rakig bukers, shovellig heavy bulky materials, chagig holes, switchig grees, loadig/uloadig trailers. I the golf course idustry, maual hadlig causes a quarter of all ijuries ad early a third of over 3 day absece ijuries reported to HSE uder RIDDOR 95. May ijuries are caused by icorrect liftig methods, awkward shape of the load or lack of hadles. I additio to acute ijuries, chroic ijuries to the back, lower limbs ad eck ca occur from prologed periods of liftig of heavy loads, over moths or years. Icorrect liftig techiques, poor posture, frequecy ad duratio of liftig all cotribute to the developmet of log-term musculoskeletal problems. Ijuries ca be paiful, for example where spial ijury occurs. use of bulk materials ad bulk hadlig systems rather tha bagged or materials Assessig the risk The risk from ay remaiig maual operatios should be assessed ad, where it is sigificat, actio should be idetified to reduce that risk. Reducig the risk The actios idetified to reduce risk should be implemeted, for example usig mechaical aids, lower weights of sacks/drums, chages to systems of work etc. Such actios should be icluded withi the golf club s Geeral Statemet of Safety Policy ad the arragemets for maagig health ad safety i the workplace. The club may also eed to iclude such chages withi it s medium term fiacial plaig so that physical chages ca be made e.g. yard surfacig, additioal storage space, ad equipmet purchased that will actually reduce the amout of maual hadlig work. Traiig ad iformatio Repetitive work O golf courses, repetitive movemets of the shoulder, arm, wrist ad hads ca cause work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD s), also kow as repetitive strai ijury (RSI). These disorders are made worse by the eed for excessive speed, usig force or poor posture. What the Law says The Maual Hadlig Regulatios require employers to avoid, so far as is reasoably practicable, maual hadlig operatios that put employees at risk of beig ijured. Use of mechaical hadlig equipmet should be cosidered first; this should iclude: use fork lift trucks or other mechaical equipmet to hadle materials e.g. pallets of turf, fertilizers, boxes, drums ad barrels Employees carryig out maual hadlig operatios should be traied i safe maual hadlig techiques ad safe use of mechaical aids, icludig update ad re-traiig util a permaet chage of culture ad ew techiques are beig used. Golf club directors should esure that the greekeepig team are give iformatio about the weight of the loads they are required to hadle, particularly if the load is heavy or the cetre of gravity is offset. This iformatio is available from suppliers of goods but it may be ecessary to seek iformatio from suppliers of goods ad equipmet previously supplied e.g. mower cutter uits, sleepers etc. Reviewig the assessmet The iitial risk assessmet should be reviewed if there have bee sigificat chages i the maual hadlig operatios it relates to, ad you should take ay actio idetified to further reduce risk. Idetifyig maual hadlig tasks Firstly idetify which maual hadlig activities are causig a sigificat risk i your workplace. The priorities previously idetified Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 37

38 SECTION 5.0 MANUAL HANDLING will help you to determie which tasks to focus o. Observe the work beig doe, discuss with your employees ad look at ijury history. Particular attetio should be paid to movig heavy objects, awkward load shapes, streuous pushig ad pullig ad stackig above shoulder height. You should also look at repetitive work (e.g. buker rakig) that could lead to WRULDs. weights, drum weights etc, ad how products should be hadled, purpose-made hadlig solutios ca be used at each stage. The followig table sets out a list of maual hadlig tasks kow to be problematic i the golf idustry ad ways of avoidig or reducig the risk. You will also eed to cosider ay other maual hadlig tasks ot listed that may occur o your premises. If you fid solutios other tha those suggested you are free to use them. TASKS Hadlig bags of fertiliser Mahadlig of implemets ad cutter uits whe attachig to tractors etc. Liftig equipmet oto work beches ad trailers ACTION TO REDUCE RISKS Chage to pallet hadlig usig a fork lift Review traiig to be sure of usig correct techique. Esure implemets are detached correctly, use adjustable stads Use mobile liftig equipmet. Review traiig, cosider two ma liftig Elimiatio Maual hadlig ad repetitive work idetified as presetig a sigificat risk should be assessed i more detail to see if they ca be avoided altogether, or if the task ca be chaged to reduce the risk. For example, ca the task be automated or sigificatly assisted by mechaical meas? Prevetive measures For tasks that caot be elimiated or automated, you will eed to itroduce suitable prevetive ad protective measures to reduce the risk of ijury. If it is too costly to itroduce all the measures at oce, the they should be phased i as part of a overall risk reductio pla. Reportig of symptoms You should ecourage your staff team to report ay symptoms of ijury as soo as they otice them. Early reportig of symptoms eables early diagosis, proper treatmet ad rehabilitatio. I geeral, back pai ca best be tackled by keepig getly active rather tha restig. For WRULDs, the limb is best rested log eough to reduce iflammatio. However, medical advice should be sought i all cases of back pai, WRULDs ad similar disorders. Moitorig Fially, you should check that your prevetative measures have made improvemets. You ca do this by moitorig records of sickess absece ad ill health, esurig there is adequate supervisio ad moitorig the use of mechaical aids etc. Supply chai Hadlig risks are ofte iherited from further up the supply chai, for example if you receive heavy materials, sacks or large drums. If customers ad suppliers ca agree o acceptable sack Usig trimmers ad had held rotary mowers o grass baks Rakig bukers Hadlig ad layig turf Brushig ad sweepig Chagig holes o puttig grees Hadlig old railway sleepers Further Iformatio: Review risk assessmet ad justify the eed to do this work. Use growth retardats. Cosider reducig bak agles so that ride-o equipmet ca be used safely Use mechaical equipmet. Review traiig to esure correct techiques are used Use big rolls ad mechaical equipmet. Use fork lift equipmet to reduce uecessary maual hadlig Use mechaical equipmet e.g sweepers ad blowers Review traiig to esure correct techique is used. Use moder hole chagig equipmet Review risk assessmet ad chage to usig mechaical hadlig equipmet HSE Guide: INDG Maual Hadlig Assessmet Charts 38 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

39 SECTION 6.0 HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Chapter 6.1 The cotrol of substaces hazardous to health (COSHH) regulatios Legislatio: Cotrol of Substaces Hazardous to Health Regulatios 2002 require that the employer should ot carry o ay work which is liable to expose ay employees to ay substaces hazardous to health uless he has made a suitable ad sufficiet assessmet of the risks. Hazardous substaces ca iclude: substaces used directly i work activities; substaces geerated durig work activities; aturally occurrig substaces; biological agets such as bacteria ad other micro-orgaisms. cacer, which may appear log after the exposure to the chemical that caused it or log term exposure to the su; ifectio from bacteria ad other micro-orgaisms (biological agets). Proprietary made products cotaiig hazardous substaces will be easily idetified by hazard warig symbols o the product label ad iformatio i the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The legislatio requires that the employer carries out a COSHH Assessmet (Risk Assessmet for the hazardous substace). This should idetify where ad how the substace is used, hadled ad stored ad how the adverse effects of the substace (hazard) may be elimiated or cotrolled. The followig steps cover the requiremets of carryig out a COSHH Assessmet: A greekeeper ca be exposed to a wide rage of hazardous substaces i the course of your work, these will iclude: fuel, oil ad grease pesticides fertilisers cleaig materials ad disifectats pait ad wood preservatives dust fumes, from egie exhausts, battery chargig ad weldig cotact with dead aimals cotact with aimal waste cotact with poisoous plats biological hazards examples iclude tetaus, weills disease, lymes disease airbore fugi ad other microscopic biohazards (bioaerosols) These substaces may have a adverse effect o your health rather tha affect your geeral safety. Examples of the effects of hazardous substaces iclude: ski irritatio, dermatitis, or ski cacer as a result of ski cotact, exposure to the su; asthma as a result of developig allergy to substaces used at work or log term exposure to dust ad other airbore cotamiats (respiratory sesitizers); losig cosciousess as a result of beig overcome by toxic fumes; 1. idetify hazardous substaces ad assess the risks to health from the hazardous substaces used or created i the work place 2. decide what precautios are eeded 3. prevet or cotrol exposure 4. esure that cotrol measures are used ad maitaied 5. moitor exposure 6. carry out appropriate health surveillace (oly required if cotrol measures do ot give complete protectio) 7. prepare plas ad procedures to deal with accidets ad emergecies 8. esure that employees are properly supervised Maufacturers Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provide a essetial source of iformatio whe preparig COSHH assessmets. Further iformatio: HSE website: Chapter 6.2 Usig plat protectio products (pesticides). Pesticide products are wide ragig ad iclude fugicides, herbicides, isecticides, growth regulators, pest cotrol products, rodeticides ad wood preservatives. Their sale, supply, advertisemet, storage ad use is oly permitted if they have bee approved uder the Cotrol of Pesticides Regulatios 1986 (COPR) ad the Plat Protectio Products Regulatios 1993 (PPPR). Oly approved pesticides ca be used ad the label of approved products should display a MAFF, MAPP, or HSE umber. The coditios of use are stated i every idividual pesticide approval ad are prited o the product label. The coditios of use should always be followed. Ayoe workig with pesticides is required to be competet ad i certai situatios you may be required to hold a Certificate of Competece issued by the Natioal Proficiecy Tests Coucil followig a successful assessmet. You are required to have a Certificate of Competece i the followig situatios: Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 39

40 SECTION 6.0 HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES If you are applyig a pesticide as part of a commercial service (as a cotractor) o lad that is ot owed or reted by you, or your employer. If you are applyig a pesticide o lad which you or your employer does ot ow, ret, or occupy. If you were bor after 31 December If you are directly supervisig someoe else who is usig a pesticide but does ot have a Certificate of Competece. All pesticides should be stored i a suitably costructed, secure bi, cabiet, chest or vault capable of resistig fire for at least 30 miutes ad robust eough to withstad reasoably foreseeable accidetal impact ad be secure agaist theft ad vadalism. The store eeds to be fitted with a sump which will retai the total capacity plus 10% of the cotets stored, i the evet of all cotaiers failig simultaeously (eg i the case of a fire), or costructed with a bud that will cotai ay spillage of pesticide. It should ot be sited ear a staff room or office ad if kept outside it eeds to be waterproof ad frost proof. The pesticide store should be idetified by a cautioary warig sig ad smokig prohibited i the area. For large quatities of pesticides, cotaiers specifically maufactured to comply with the legislative requiremets for storage are available o the market. Otherwise a purposebuilt pesticide store should be costructed or a suitable buildig coverted. See HSE Guidace Note AIS 16 - Storage of approved pesticides: Guidace for farmers ad other professioal users. Further Iformatio: To esure you remai competet ad maitai your levels of skill ad kowledge it will be ecessary to keep up to date; the ideal way to do this is by becomig a member of the Natioal Register of Spray Operators (NRoSO ), a volutary scheme set up uder the Volutary Iitiative. Pesticides are approved for a particular field of use ; agriculture, horticulture (icludig ameity horticulture), idustrial ad i or ear water. It is essetial that oly pesticides approved for a particular field of use are used. The Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Plat Protectio Products ( ) itroduced i Jauary 2006 provides further detailed iformatio o the use of pesticides. Sprayig equipmet must be maitaied i good coditio ad calibrated regularly to establish correct applicatio rates. There is a volutary sprayer testig scheme, Natioal Sprayer Testig Scheme (NSTS ) available, although ot a legal requiremet at preset, its use would cotribute to safe workig practices, there is also a geeral requiremet that all work equipmet is maitaied to the stadards idetified by the maufacturer. Code of practice for the safe use of plat protectio products, provides the framework for the use of plat protectio products i the UK. provides a wide rage of iformatio ad liks to other key websites. Product labels form the lik betwee the maufacturer ad the user ad should always be available ad complied with. HSE Guidace Note AIS 16 Storage of Pesticides Chapter 6.2 Maagig asbestos Legislatio: Cotrol of Asbestos at Work Regulatios 2003 Ihalatio of asbestos dust ad fibres ca lead to asbestos related diseases, maily cacers of the lugs ad chest. Breathig asbestos is oly a risk to health if asbestos fibres are released ito the air ad breathed i. Asbestos related diseases curretly kill up to 3000 people a year i Great Britai. This umber is expected to go o risig for the ext te years. There is o cure for asbestos related diseases. The pesticide product label is the key lik betwee the maufacturer ad the user, the product label should always be read ad complied with. It is a legal requiremet to comply with Statutory Coditios for Use. The disposal of pesticide waste should also be cosidered, this will iclude; empty cotaiers, washigs from machiery ad equipmet, used ad cotamiated protective clothig ad pesticides i diluted or cocetrate form. Further details ca be foud i the Code of Practice. 40 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

41 SECTION 6.0 HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Who is at risk? Ayoe who uses your premises, who disturbs asbestos that has deteriorated or bee damaged ad is releasig fibres, ca be at risk. I fact, ayoe whose work ivolves drillig, sawig or cuttig ito the fabric of premises could potetially be at risk. They may all breathe i asbestos fibres durig their dayto-day work. I the case of a golf club this could iclude: Staff Cotractors, (plumbers, electricias, IT cotractors) Golfers Visitors To esure compliace with the curret legislatio the followig steps should be take: fid out if there is asbestos i the premises, its type, amout ad what coditio it is i; presume that materials cotai asbestos, uless you have strog evidece that they do ot; make ad keep up to date a record of the locatio ad coditio of the Asbestos Cemet Materials (ACM s); assess the risks from the material; prepare a pla that sets out i detail how you are goig to maage the risk from this material; take the steps eeded to put your pla ito actio; Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 41

42 SECTION 7.0 WORKING IN CONFINED SPACES review ad moitor your pla ad the arragemets made to put it i place; ad provide iformatio o the locatio ad coditio of the material to ayoe who is liable to work o or disturb it, this would iclude cotractors carryig out costructio, maiteace or repair work at the golf club Further Iformatio: There may be occasios whe greekeepers fid themselves workig i situatios that ca be described as cofied spaces: Draiage ad Soakaway chambers Irrigatio taks Pits i workshops Ditches ad other water features A importat aspect of assessig risks i cofied spaces is to carefully cosider Regulatio 4 (1) No perso at work shall eter a cofied space to carry out work for ay purpose uless is it ot reasoably practicable to achieve that purpose without such etry I other words is there aother way of carryig out the task without the eed for a perso to eter the cofied space? Whe workig i a cofied space o a golf course reasoably foreseeable risks could be: a fall resultig i ijury i a remote area with o commuicatios becomig stuck i a cofied space that is too small to allow free movemet, icludig turig roud to exit the area loss of oxyge due to lack of vetilatio resultig i loss of cosciousess igress of toxic fumes resultig i loss of cosciousess a fall of loose material ito a trech or ditch trappig or buryig workers floodig of the trech or pit resultig i drowig Whe plaig work i a cofied space make sure there is a risk assessmet that is directly relevat to the site ad the work; a risk assessmet will eed to iclude the followig cotrols: Whe plaig to carry out work i these situatios make sure you refer to the relevat risk assessmet for the task ad other risk assessmets for maual hadlig, persoal protective equipmet, commuicatios ad emergecy assistace ad loe workig, as they may also be relevat to carryig out the work safely. If there is to be major costructio work o a golf course e.g. draiage or irrigatio work, ivolvig ay of the above features, ca they be desiged i such a way that etry ito a cofied space by a perso is uecessary, or sigificatly reduced. The Approved Code of Practice Safe Work i Cofied Spaces made uder the Cofies Spaces Regulatios 1997 defie a cofied space as: Esure all staff who may be carryig out this work have received appropriate traiig If possible esure the task is carried out by two or more persos, oe to remai outside, maitai cotact with colleagues, ad be ready to assist i a emergecy. Cosider wearig a safety haress that will arrest a fall ad make it possible to rapidly extract a ijured perso from the cofied space Esure the work is otified to a competet perso who will esure the site Emergecy Pla is put o stadby ad able to carry out a rescue operatio If foul air is suspected, carry out a survey ad cosider if there is a eed to wear suitable respiratory protective equipmet (RPE) Esure that all pit ad trech supports have bee correctly specified ad ispected by a competet perso before commecig work O completio of the task the competet perso is to be otified ad he/she ca stad dow the raised level of the Emergecy Pla Further iformatio: HSE Guide INDG 258 Safe Work i Cofied Spaces ay place, icludig ay chamber, tak, vat, silo, pit, trech, pipe, sewer, flue, well, or other similar space i which, by virtue of its eclosed ature, there arises a reasoably foreseeable specified risk. 42 l Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace

43 SECTION 8.0 WORKING ALONE Legislatio: Health ad Safety at Work Act 1974 Maagemet of Health ad Safety at Work Regulatios 1999 Examples of workig aloe o a golf course iclude Staff who work aloe outside ormal hours such as late duties i the eveigs or workig at weekeds. Staff who work aloe i remote parts of the golf course. Loe workers should ot be at more risk tha other employees, ad this may require extra risk cotrol measures. Precautios should take accout of ormal work ad foreseeable emergecies, e.g. fire, equipmet failure, illess ad accidets. Golf club employers should idetify situatios where people work aloe ad ask questios such as: Does the workplace preset a special risk to the loe worker? Ca all the plat, substaces ad goods ivolved i the work be safely hadled by oe perso? Is there a risk of violece? Are female greekeepers especially at risk if they work aloe? Are youg workers especially at risk if they work aloe? Further Iformatio: Typical cotrol measures to be cosidered are Idetifyig tasks that ca oly be doe whe loe workig Providig appropriate iformatio ad traiig Providig commuicatio systems; radios, mobile phoes, adoptig a call i system Esure loe workig is actively discussed durig iductio ad other traiig Health & Safety i Golf Course Maagemet ad Maiteace l 43

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