Training & Development


“ Paul Worster


Health & Safety has had a bad press in many quarters. From bans on window boxes (in case they fall on


someone’s head), to a general ban on something as basic as playing conkers in the playground; this is Health and Safety gone mad. Actually, this is Health and Safety completely misunderstood, misinterpreted and everything else in between reckons Paul Worster, Golf Courses Manager at Minchinhampton Golf Club


138 I PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016


Every word you say or have ever said or recorded on a particular issue is dissected and taken down to use in evidence against you as the solicitors build the maximum possible claim


Health & Safety


Practical Golf Course Safety


W


hat we need on our golf courses is a culture of safety. You could define culture (in this context) as “that which is commonplace


within a group”. So, within our group of greenkeepers, ‘Safety’ (and, of course, ‘Best Practice’) should become commonplace. I am not talking box-ticking here. I am


talking about making the safety implications the first consideration when delegating every single task. This needs to happen on a daily, almost hourly basis. Why? Because accidents, mishaps, minor injuries and so-on are expensive, inconvenient, upsetting and potentially destabilising for all those involved; and dealing with the aftermath is nearly always very time- consuming. Trust me on this - accidents, even minor


ones, hurt in more ways than one. You end up with injury solicitors being involved; every word you say or have ever said or recorded


on a particular issue is dissected and taken down to use in evidence against you as the solicitors build the maximum possible claim. Your superiors at work then become involved - to limit their own liability - and you end up caught in the crossfire. So, what you need to do is spend several thousands of pounds to bring in an expert consultant, have a full assessment carried out of your operations, and create a giant- sized file-folder created which is full of technical terms, forms to fill out, protocols to follow, and reports to complete ... right? No ... wrong. Yes, granted; you do need a summary of the risks involved in your operation. But the kicker is that, whatever you have, needs to be usable and practical, and you need to find some way of keeping it live. Hands up. Who has a dusty file sitting on


an office shelf for which the club probably paid handsomely several years ago, and has scarcely seen the light of day since?


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164