Health and Safety Policy — Gardeners Bermondsey and Associated Services

Purpose: This policy sets out the approach of our gardening company in Bermondsey and surrounding service areas to manage health and safety risks arising from garden maintenance, landscaping, and related outdoor services. It establishes clear responsibilities, safe working practices, and procedures to protect staff, clients, contractors and the public. The emphasis is on practical controls, continual improvement and strong communication rather than legal detail.

Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all employees, subcontractors and temporary staff engaged in garden care, shrub pruning, turfing, planting, hedge cutting, and other grounds maintenance work carried out by Bermondsey gardeners and regional teams. It covers activities undertaken on domestic and commercial sites and outlines expectations for safe equipment use, traffic management during site access, and environmental precautions.

Management Commitment and Responsibilities

Management will: provide leadership, allocate resources, and ensure staff receive suitable training and supervision. Line managers must carry out risk assessments and enforce control measures. The gardening team leaders are responsible for daily safety briefings, tool checks and ensuring that personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and used.

Employee and Contractor Duties: Everyone working for the garden maintenance service has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. Staff must follow safe work procedures, report hazards and incidents promptly, and refuse unsafe work until risks are controlled. Subcontractors must demonstrate competence and adherence to this policy.

Risk Assessment and Safe Systems

Before work begins, supervisors or competent staff must carry out a site-specific risk assessment that identifies hazards such as uneven ground, overhead obstructions, buried services, use of pesticides, vehicle movements and manual handling risks. A documented safe system of work should be produced for higher-risk tasks and communicated to the team.

Key Control Measures include:

• Provision and mandatory use of PPE — gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, hearing protection and suitable footwear.
• Regular inspection and maintenance of tools, ride-on mowers and power equipment to prevent faults.
• Traffic and pedestrian management when working near roads, footpaths or driveways.
• Safe storage and handling of fuels, oils and approved horticultural chemicals.
• Clear exclusion zones during hedge cutting, tree work or when using mechanical equipment.

These measures are mandatory for all crews and are tailored for each type of landscaping or garden care service we provide across the borough and adjacent areas.

Training, Competence and Supervision

The company will ensure staff are trained and competent for the tasks they perform. Training topics include machine operation, manual handling, pesticide awareness, first aid basics and working at height precautions. Newly appointed gardeners receive supervised induction. Regular toolbox talks and refresher sessions maintain awareness and competence across our Bermondsey gardening teams.

Emergency procedures and incident reporting are essential. All incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions must be reported immediately to the site supervisor and recorded. First aid arrangements must be available on site and employees trained in basic response. Where incidents involve serious injury or significant property damage, the company will carry out an investigation to identify root causes and corrective actions.

Monitoring and Performance: The organisation will monitor safety performance through routine inspections, maintenance records, incident trends and periodic audits. Findings will be used to improve the safety management system. Health and safety objectives are set and reviewed to drive continuous improvement in how our gardening services are delivered.

Communication, Review and Policy Ownership

Communication: This policy will be communicated to employees and contractors, displayed where appropriate and included in induction materials. The policy is reviewed annually or after significant changes to operations, equipment or following major incidents. The company director retains final ownership of this policy and ensures that senior managers implement and support it.

Final Statement: Our commitment is to deliver high-quality garden care and landscaping while preventing harm. By following this policy, the gardening crews and management collectively ensure safe, reliable and environmentally responsible services across the Bermondsey service area and neighbouring locations.