In brief
Garden and landscaping work may look like “light work”, but stones thrown by a brush cutter, hours of vibration, falls from ladders and pesticide exposure during spraying cause serious injuries. The measures are mostly simple: sweeping the work area beforehand, using the guard and the right face protection, calculating time on vibrating tools, and pruning from the ground or from a platform. This article sets out the risks and a checklist for each task separately.
Who does garden maintenance safety concern?
In Bursa and neighbouring provinces, the garden teams of residential complex managements, subcontractors landscaping factory and OIZ (organised industrial zone) plots, hotel and school gardeners, and companies maintaining parks on behalf of municipalities all work with the same tools and the same risks. Most of these workers are in small teams, and the work is carried out on another employer’s premises. Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety covers all workplaces regardless of their field of activity; a landscaping company with workers also bears the obligations of risk assessment, training, health surveillance and PPE. If the service is provided at a residential complex or a factory, see our article on OHS when working with subcontractors for the measures to be taken together with the principal employer.
From a garden maintenance safety perspective, dividing the work into four groups clarifies the risks and measures:
| Task | Main hazard | Basic measure |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting grass with a brush cutter | Thrown stones, glass, pieces of line; blade kickback; noise and vibration | Sweeping the area, guard, face shield and goggles, time planning |
| Mowing | Hands and feet reaching the blade, overturning on slopes, thrown objects | Not intervening without stopping the engine, slope limit, clearing the area |
| Tree pruning | Falls from ladders, saw cuts, falling branches, power lines | Pruning from the ground, platform, cordoning off the area, keeping clear of lines |
| Spraying and fertilising | Pesticide passing into the skin and lungs, exposure of people nearby | PPE in line with the label and SDS, warning sign, waiting period |
Landscaping teams start work in a different area each day. So in addition to the risk assessment, a five-minute check on arrival at the site is very useful: which tool will be used today, who is in the area, is there any special situation such as a power line, glass surfaces or parked vehicles, and are the first aid kit and water in the vehicle? For how to hold this short meeting, see our article on the toolbox talk. If the team has new or seasonal workers, having them work alongside an experienced worker in the first days prevents mistakes made without knowing the tools and the site.
Brush cutters: thrown stones and kickback
The line head or blade of a brush cutter turns at thousands of revolutions per minute. A stone, a piece of glass or wire in the grass is thrown at this speed towards the worker, a colleague, a passer-by or a parked car. This is why eye injuries are the most typical accident in landscaping work.
Apply this checklist before every cut:
- Sweep the area. Stones, bottles, wire and sprinkler heads are collected or marked.
- Clear the surroundings. No one is within the safety distance stated in the user manual; in residential complexes and parks, the footpath is temporarily closed or the work is moved to quieter hours.
- Fit the guard. A brush cutter with its guard removed is not used; a guard suitable for the type of cutting attachment is used.
- Choose the right cutting attachment. In woody scrub, a metal blade striking a hard trunk can throw the tool and the worker sideways (kickback). When working with a blade, a double-shoulder harness is used and the tool is held to the right of the body.
- Refuel with the engine cold. Refuelling is not done with a hot engine or while smoking; the tool is not started until spilled fuel has been wiped up.
Goggles alone are not enough as PPE; for thrown fragments, a face shield over the goggles, hearing protection, footwear with non-slip soles and toe protection, and sturdy long trousers are needed. For choosing goggles and shields, see our article on safety goggles and face shields.
Vibration and noise: the invisible risk of powered tools
Working for hours with brush cutters, hedge trimmers and blowers can cause disorders related to hand-arm vibration, such as numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers turning white in the cold. Art. 5 of the Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Risks Related to Vibration gives the following values based on an eight-hour working period:
| Type of vibration | Daily exposure action value | Daily exposure limit value |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-arm vibration | 2.5 m/s² | 5 m/s² |
| Whole-body vibration (e.g. ride-on lawn tractor) | 0.5 m/s² | 1.15 m/s² |
Daily exposure is calculated from the tool’s vibration value and the time of use: A(8) = a × √(T ÷ 8). With example values: for someone working 2 hours a day with a tool with a vibration value of 5 m/s², A(8) = 5 × √(2 ÷ 8) = 2.5 m/s², and the action value is reached; working 8 hours with the same tool corresponds to the limit value. The tool’s vibration value is declared in the user manual; the real value may be higher in a poorly maintained tool. For details of the calculation, see our article on the vibration regulation.
The measures are: choosing low-vibration tools with vibration-damping handles, keeping the cutting attachment and balance maintained, rotating the work within the team, and providing gloves and a warm break area in cold weather. On the noise side, most powered tools produce high sound levels at the operator’s ear; the Noise Regulation makes hearing protection mandatory at the upper action value of 85 dB(A). For the right protector, read our article on choosing hearing protection.
Lawn mowers: hands, feet and slopes
With push mowers, most accidents happen when trying to clear a pulley or the underside of the blade clogged with wet grass by hand or foot while the machine is running. The blade keeps turning for a short time after the engine stops. The rule is the same as for all other machines: stop the engine, wait for the blade to stop completely, remove the spark plug cap on petrol machines or the battery on battery machines, then intervene.
Other important points:
- On a slope, a push mower is used across the slope, i.e. sideways, not up and down. This way a slipping foot does not go under the machine and the machine does not roll back onto the worker. On ride-on machines, on the other hand, slopes are driven up and down to avoid overturning, the manufacturer’s slope limit is not exceeded, and a rollover protective structure and seat belt are used where fitted.
- Look behind when reversing; in residential gardens with children and pets, mowing does not start until the work area has been cleared.
- Sweeping beforehand is essential here too: a thrown stone can travel as far as with a brush cutter.
- Blade changing and sharpening are done with thick gloves and the blade secured.
Tree pruning safety: height, saws and falling branches
Falls from height are the leading cause of pruning accidents. The safest method is to prune from the ground with long-handled (telescopic) tools. If it is necessary to go up, a portable ladder is used only for short, light work and with the ladder set on firm ground; the top rung of the ladder is not climbed, and a saw is not used two-handed on a ladder. A mobile elevating work platform is preferred for longer and heavier work. For details, see our articles on portable ladder safety and scissor lifts and boom platforms.
The risk of cuts when working with a chainsaw is serious. The person using the saw wears chainsaw-protective trousers or leggings, cut-resistant footwear, a helmet, a face shield and hearing protection; the saw must be maintained and the chain brake must work. The tip (nose) of the saw touching a branch is the most typical cause of kickback.
During pruning, the area is cordoned off with tape for falling branches, and measures for traffic and pedestrians are taken for roadside trees. Large cut branches are not dropped uncontrolled; they are lowered with a rope.
Landscaping pesticide and fertiliser application
Spraying in parks, residential gardens and factory landscaping is riskier in one respect than spraying in a field: there are people in the area besides the worker. So the following sequence is followed for pesticide application in landscaping:
- Product choice and label: The product label and safety data sheet are read; dosage and application conditions are set according to the label.
- PPE: The gloves, protective clothing, eye and respiratory protection specified on the label and SDS are used.
- Surroundings: Application is done during windless hours; children’s play areas, pools, seating areas and ventilation intakes are taken into account.
- Warning: A warning sign showing the date, time and when the area may be entered is placed at the treated area; the residential complex management or workplace is informed in advance.
- Cleaning and storage: Equipment is cleaned, and leftover product is stored in a locked, labelled cabinet, separate from food and drink.
For exposure routes, signs of poisoning and spraying PPE, read our article on safety when applying pesticides. Garden work also carries risks from sun and heat, insects and ticks, and tetanus in wounds in contact with soil; our articles on heatstroke symptoms and workplace vaccination programmes cover these topics in detail.
You can plan the risk assessment, instructions and site inspections for your landscaping and garden maintenance teams within our OHS specialist service, and see your obligations with the OHS obligations calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are goggles enough when working with a brush cutter?
No. Thrown stones and fragments also strike other parts of the face. A face shield is worn over the goggles; hearing protection, sturdy footwear and long trousers are also needed. A tool with its guard removed is not used.
How long can someone work with vibrating tools per day?
The time depends on the tool’s vibration value. Daily exposure is calculated with the formula A(8) = a × √(T ÷ 8), and for hand-arm vibration 2.5 m/s² is the action value and 5 m/s² the limit value. For example, 2 hours of use with a tool vibrating at 5 m/s² reaches the action value.
What should be done when a lawn mower clogs?
Stop the engine, wait for the blade to stop completely, remove the spark plug cap on a petrol machine or the battery on a battery machine; only then clear the blockage, wearing gloves.
How are residents protected when spraying in a residential garden?
The application is announced in advance, carried out during windless hours, and a warning sign showing when the treated area may be entered is put up. For children’s play areas and seating areas, the waiting period on the product label is followed.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.