Training & Development Undulating terrain, water and overhead pylons - multiple risks!
example, how long it normally takes to complete a task and reacting if someone is overdue.
This, I suspect, is not the real problem.
Carrying out hazardous tasks alone, and early morning working alone are the major issues. I always ensure that hazardous tasks
are never attempted by a single person. This covers chainsaw work and felling, scrub clearing with power tools, big excavations, and work on or close to water bodies or steep drops. This type of work is carried out by at least two people - one of whom might be termed a ‘banksman’.
A banksman is a person who is not
directly involved in the actual work, but is in attendance to give bystanders or passers-by (golfers and public) advice and information and ensure their safety, and to monitor progress and provide or summon assistance in the case of any issues with the work itself.
The other main case of lone working in golf is early morning weekend work. This one is a regular occurrence, particularly at golf clubs, and needs to be managed properly to ensure safety. We manage this by asking people to check in with a supervisor before leaving the site. If the supervisor doesn’t hear anything, he attempts to make contact. A successful approach to this issue
requires a Risk Assessment - and this doesn’t call for a ten page legal document - this is something that every competent greenkeeper can carry out. Think about the site. Are there:
- Steep drops? - Deep water? - Slippery slopes? -Roads?
Think about the task:
- Does it call for Hazardous Equipment to be used?
- Does it require specialist skills and experience?
- Do the risks vary with the time of year (e.g. ice, frost, snow etc)?
- How long does it take to carry it out under normal circumstances?
Think about the operatives:
- Are they competent, capable and in good health?
- Do they have the means to make contact with a designated person in emergency?
- Would they be missed by anyone at home?
- If so, how long before someone became worried and raised the alarm?
- Do they have the contact numbers for the supervisor?
- Is there another person with whom the operative can check out with each day?
Think about how necessary the task actually is, if you found yourself to be short-handed:
- Does it have to be done right away or can it wait until assistance is available?
- Can another member of staff be diverted away from a secondary task to assist?
- Can a third party, e.g. manager or professional, be drafted in to keep tabs on the operation?
The Risk Assessment doesn’t need filling in every time someone comes in by themselves at a weekend - however, it does need to be made available to staff so they understand and adopt the control measures. You need to prove that it is given credence and the tenets are understood and applied; this can be covered by annual or even bi-annual sign-off with all employees. And it needs to be applied by you, the supervisor, in understanding and interpreting the risks, and ensuring these clearly identified
“A banksman is a person who is not directly involved in the actual work, but is in attendance to give bystanders or passers-by (golfers and public) advice and information and ensure their safety”
risks are minimised by not putting staff into potentially dangerous situations. This I think is key. Yes, anyone can fix,
for example, a broken panel on the shed roof but, actually, you eliminate all possible risks by engaging a specialist contractor. It may cost several times more than it would be if carried out ‘in house’, but if there is a problem, the contractor is by far the cheaper long term option, as he carries the insurance, has the correct equipment, has the specialist trained staff, and is completely used to carrying out the work. A culture of safety is required in the modern workplace. Safety is the primary consideration at the outset of a task. It doesn’t take long and this becomes second nature. I speak here as someone who once tipped over an excavator in a bunker with three other greenkeepers working in the same bunker. It missed them - somehow. Safety is the Primary Requirement and the understanding and mitigation of risk achieves this.
About the author: Paul Worster is Course Manager at Minchinhampton Golf Club and a former BIGGA Chairman. He is now a director of FEGGA and believes in strong Greenkeeper Associations preparing and equipping their greenkeeper members for management.
An early morning job - but could it have waited?
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 PC 135
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