Health and Safety Policy — Gardener Lee

This Health and Safety Policy sets out the commitment of Gardener Lee to protect the health, safety and welfare of everyone engaged in our garden maintenance and landscaping work. As a professional gardening company and garden care provider, Gardener Lee aims to operate safe, reliable services across our service area while maintaining high standards of risk control and environmental care. This policy applies to all employees, contractors and subcontractors engaged in our garden services.

The objectives of this policy are to prevent injuries, reduce occupational ill health and protect property and the public by identifying hazards and putting proportionate controls in place. Our approach to safety is practical: assess risks, provide appropriate training and equipment, and monitor compliance. The policy supports continuous improvement and clarifies responsibilities so that every team member understands how safe working relates to quality garden maintenance and landscaping operations.

Scope and applicability cover routine lawn care, hedge trimming, tree work within competence limits, planting, hard landscaping support tasks and seasonal grounds maintenance. The policy emphasises safe manual handling, correct use of handheld and powered garden machinery, secure working at height procedures for pruning and access, and safe handling of gardening products. Gardener Lee expects all personnel to follow established controls and report concerns promptly.

Overall responsibility for implementing this policy rests with management, who will ensure resources, training and supervision are available. Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for ensuring day-to-day compliance on site, conducting briefings and checking equipment. Employees, trainees and contractors share a duty to act safely and use provided safety equipment. Everyone must report unsafe conditions so corrective steps can be taken quickly.

Key responsibilities include risk assessment, incident reporting, maintaining training records and keeping equipment in safe condition. Gardener Lee will keep appropriate documentation of risk assessments and safe systems of work and will ensure that staff are competent for the tasks they perform through ongoing training.

Training and competence are central. All operatives receive induction training and regular refreshers covering manual handling, machinery operation, pesticide awareness where applicable, and emergency procedures. Where specialist tree work or heavy machinery is required, only trained and certified operatives will perform those tasks.

Risk control focuses on hazard elimination first, then substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and finally personal protective equipment (PPE). Examples include isolating powered equipment during maintenance, establishing exclusion zones around work areas, using guards and safety devices on machines, and limiting access to high-risk tasks.

Safe work practices include pre-start checks of machinery, secure ladder and platform use, and clear exclusion zones to protect staff and the public. Control measures also cover traffic management when working near roads, safe storage of sharp tools and safe loading/unloading procedures for vehicles transporting materials and equipment.

Practical safety controls are presented to staff in toolbox talks and written safe work instructions. The policy also requires a system of reporting and documenting near-misses and incidents to learn and prevent recurrence.

Personal protective equipment is provided where required: gloves, eye protection, hearing protection, high-visibility clothing and protective footwear. Use of PPE is mandatory where identified by risk assessment. Chemical handling in garden services is minimised; where required, only approved products are used and stored securely, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or equivalent information is available to operators.

Accident and emergency procedures are in place for first aid, incident notification and escalation. Staff are trained in basic first aid and know the action to take in emergencies. Incidents are investigated to identify root causes and to implement remedial actions, ensuring continuous improvement in safety performance.

Monitoring and review: Gardener Lee will monitor compliance and performance through regular site inspections, audit, and review of incident records. This policy is subject to periodic review and update to reflect changes in operations, new equipment or updated best practice. Everyone is encouraged to contribute suggestions to improve safety.