“It really
shouldn’t be the case that an accident needs to occur before people decide to get the proper training for their staff”
Ian Sumpter, Training Manager, Lely UK
HEALTH &
thorough health and safety policy is crucial across many sectors, not least one that works daily with potentially dangerous machines.
feature Tom James looks at the issues facing manufacturers and end users
30
In part 1 of our Health & Safety
The need to have a well-planned,
F
atalities recorded in recent years, notably in Yorkshire and Birmingham, resulting from accidents with ride-on mowers, make health and safety an increasingly important issue - both for manufacturers, in maintaining their operational standards and guidance, and for end users to be correctly schooled in the right ways to handle and look after ride-on and hand-held machinery. A drive is underway to raise awareness amongst groundscare professionals and machinery purchasers of the dangers posed by machine vibration and noise levels, factors that can lead to ailments such as repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome and tinnitus. Industry specialists are keen to
promote the best ways to train staff, set up in-house machine testing and demonstrate how best to avoid potential injury from prolonged machine use. Ian Sumpter, Lely UK’s training manager, is one man who strongly believes in the importance of having a
well-trained and knowledgeable work force, and of the need for training to remain fresh and relevant for today’s operators. “We run a full maintenance
programme throughout the year, changing the content of the programme every two years, as the certificate we offer is valid for only two years. This is also undertaken because we want to make sure the training we are giving is up to date and we are not merely regurgitating the same stuff year on year, says Ian.” Demand for operator training has
increased “quite a bit” this year, he reports. “It is usually the time of year when I spend most of the time in the office but, so far, that has not been the case. Companies seem to be keen to ensure their employees have the correct training and know the right ways to use their machinery.”
The industry tends to go through waves of activity, he notes. “The fatality in Birmingham a few years back led to a flourish of businesses wanting their staff
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