Health and Safety can be promoted by communication such as; written, face - to – face discussion and visible behaviour. Important things to remember when approaching communication are; listening is more important than talking, consistency is more important than volume or quantity and management are always being observed for signs and form, in a manner and language which are likely to be understood. Clear and easy to understand signs in the appropriate areas are one example of written communication within a workplace; a safety statement is another– which should be provided and visible for all employees to read and brought to …show more content…
It can be defined as lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying and supporting a load – all quite common in horticulture. Training was provided on our site by a competent person. Remember TILE when approaching manual handling - Task, Individual capability, Load, Environment. Always have the correct position of feet, load close to the body, back straight, knees bent with correct grip, lift smoothly and don’t twist. Electrical Hazard: Electrical equipment such as hedge strimmers and chainsaws are used routinely on our site. Accidents involving electrical equipment can cause severe injuries or in the very worst case death. Training in how to use the equipment in the safest way possible should be provided by a competent person and the equipment should be up to standard with a system in place to ensure there are no faults or defects. A risk assessment should be completed for the working area, taking into account over-head power lines or underground cables before starting work. On our site there are over-head power lines above the apple trees in the orchard, controls should be put in place before pruning the larger, higher-up branches and only then should work be commenced. Chemical hazard: Chemicals can be used routinely in horticulture in the form of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides; we will also encounter chemical hazards when dealing with cleaning materials and disinfectants as we have a rota for cleaning the canteen between us. Accidents involving chemicals can have a serious and lasting effect, finding way into your system by breathing contaminated air, ingestion by touching contaminated hands to mouth, and skin contact – some chemicals don’t even need an open wound to be absorbed. Precautions taken when working around chemicals are; training- which should be provided by a competent person, understanding the