Health & Safety Policy — Lawn Mowing Palmers Green
Our company is committed to providing safe, reliable lawn care and garden services across the local service area. This Health and Safety Policy sets out the approach for safe working during lawn mowing, hedge trimming, turf care and related landscaping activities. It applies to all employees, contractors and authorised personnel engaged in mowing services in Palmers Green and surrounding neighbourhoods. The objective is to minimise harm to people, property and the environment while delivering high-quality garden maintenance.Scope: This policy covers routine garden lawn mowing, mechanical cutting, edging, powered equipment use, pedestrian and vehicular access management, and manual handling tasks associated with commercial and domestic grounds maintenance. We adopt recognised safe systems of work and risk-based controls for every job, from single-lawn visits to larger landscape maintenance contracts in the service area. Staff must follow the procedures described here and any site-specific instructions.
Responsibilities and Accountability
All personnel have a role to play. Management retains overall responsibility for safety policy, resourcing, monitoring and review. Supervisors must ensure that teams operate to established standards and that risk assessments are current. Employees are required to work safely, use personal protective equipment, report hazards and incidents promptly, and participate in training. Contractors must comply with this policy when acting on behalf of the company.Management Duties
Management will establish and maintain safe working procedures for all lawn mowing and garden maintenance tasks. This includes scheduling regular equipment inspections, enforcing maintenance logs for mowers, strimmers and blowers, ensuring fuel storage and handling controls are in place, and providing appropriate PPE such as protective footwear, eye and ear protection, gloves and hi-vis garments. Regular toolbox talks will reinforce safe behaviours on-site.Key controls used to reduce risk include:
- Pre-start checks on machinery and safety guards
- Site-specific risk assessments before work begins
- Clear exclusion zones for bystanders and pets
- Approved PPE and training for hazardous tasks
- Traffic and driveway management where relevant
Equipment, PPE and Maintenance: All powered equipment must be maintained to manufacturers' guidance and recorded in maintenance logs. Only trained staff will operate ride-on mowers, brushcutters and other heavy machinery. Disposable and reusable PPE is provided and must be used: eye protection for debris hazards, hearing protection where noise exceeds safe levels, and appropriate gloves and respiratory protection when dealing with dust or fine particles. Fuel handling and refuelling are controlled activities with spill kits available on every vehicle.
Training & Competence: We invest in training to ensure that every operative is competent in safe mowing practices, machine operation, manual handling and hazard recognition. Training records are maintained, and refresher sessions are scheduled periodically. New starters receive induction covering our policy, emergency procedures and safe working instructions. Supervisors assess competence before employees undertake solo operations or advanced tasks.
Risk Assessments and Safe Systems: Before each job a documented risk assessment identifies hazards such as uneven ground, hidden obstacles, overhead branches, chemical use and proximity to roads. Control measures are implemented and communicated to the team. Where work poses significant risk, a permit-to-work or method statement is produced. We favour engineering and administrative controls, and use PPE as a last control measure in that hierarchy.
Environmental and Chemical Safety: Activities are planned to reduce environmental impact, including responsible grass clippings disposal, fuel and oil containment and prevention of runoff. When pesticides, herbicides or other controlled substances are used, COSHH principles are followed, with safe storage, authorised use only by trained staff, and secure transport protocols. Waste is segregated and disposed of legally and responsibly.
Accident Reporting and First Aid: Any incident, near-miss or injury must be reported immediately to a supervisor and recorded in the incident register. First aid kits and trained first aiders are available on-site or in vehicles. For serious incidents, emergency services are contacted without delay and the area secured to protect others. Investigations follow to identify root causes and preventive actions.
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement: Safety performance is monitored through inspections, audits and job observations. We gather data from incident reports, equipment checks and staff feedback to drive improvement. Regular reviews of this Health & Safety Policy ensure it remains relevant to our lawn care in Palmers Green operations and aligned with evolving best practice. Lessons learned are fed back into training and procedure updates.
