Training & Development


here; greenkeepers’ work patterns interrupted, delays to play ... and all completely unnecessary


Yep, me too. That was until we had a very minor accident. I was accused of not paying sufficient care to the well-being and safety of the employees for whom I was responsible. which was extremely painful. Enough of that. How do you promote


safety on a daily basis? Here’s one method which we follow:


First step: We have produced a ‘Standard Procedures’ document. In this, every task is itemised (e.g. green mowing, tee mowing, hole changing through to spraying, chainsaw work and so on), how to go about it and the risks involved. It doesn’t take all that long to produce because most of the risks are actually identical.


Each member of the team has his or her own personal folder copy and they sign off each task to prove competence. So it immediately doubles up into a training record. So, as well as evidencing safety, you can use it as a tool for training records and to ensure adequate skill-levels within the team.


Next step: Every Monday morning, at 6.30am, we hold a fifteen minute staff meeting to include feedback from last week, a look ahead into the coming week, and any safety risks are highlighted. (In the winter, when there’s less time-pressure, we show a safety video on a particular area). Once a month, we hold a practical demonstration of setting a mower, manual handling, using the fork lift and so on.


Final step: Annually, we will review all the Standard Procedures document, and all parties sign off to say it has been read, and we’re up to date. The best advice I can give is to get into the habit of assessing safety as a matter of course when delegating work. So, when asking someone to go and mow grass in dry dusty conditions, tell them to wear safety glasses. That way, you don’t get someone rocking up back at the shed half an hour later with grass in their eye, bringing in the first aider from whatever he was doing on


the course to irrigate the eye, when simply wearing glasses would have avoided it. When it’s wet and slippery, draw attention


to any steep areas and order these to be avoided. That way, you don’t then have to call several people away from what they were doing to man-handle the ride-on machine out of a bunker, or tow it back up the hill - or, in our case, out of the lake! When someone goes out with the


strimmer - remind them to wear the support harness. Far less fatiguing and more work completed in the same time. All this saves time and money ... oh, yes, and it ticks the boxes as well. Sleep well tonight, and please, don’t even


be tempted!


This article first appeared in Greenside


magazine, the official publication of the GCSAI


PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 I 139


Just look at the inconvenience


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