Occupational Health

Occupational Health

Group turnover of £105+ million

Grounds Maintenance

Winter Maintenance (Gritting & Snow Clearance)

Arboricultural Services

Vegetation Management

Construction & Design

Ecology & Biodiversity

Pest Control

Roofing

Window Cleaning

Specialist Cleaning - Pressure Washing/Gum Removal

A leading operator in the UK - servicing 45,000+ sites across the UK

Local delivery – 1300+ local Delivery Teams, 70+ highly experienced Regional

Operations & Contracts Managers

Central operations - supported by dedicated Key Account Managers, Surveyors,

HSQE Managers and national Quality Auditors

Technology driven – value adding systems & reporting

To create and maintain external environments that are safe and enjoyable for all

Occupational Health

Our competitive advantage consists of:

● High density network of field teams (Tied and Direct),

Contract Managers, sites and customers

● Sophisticated ICT systems to schedule, deploy & monitor

work that are continually improved upon with your feedback

● Appropriately motivated and incentivised staff & teams

● Ability to deal with complex compliance requirements

● Outstanding people dedicated to World Class customer

service

“Our operational delivery model allows us to deliver efficiently,

effectively and safely – throughout the UK”

Occupational Health

Consecutive Met

Office Gold Quality

Marks

Prestigious Green Flag

Award WinnersMultiple NFRC Safety

Awards

BALI Award Winners

(25 in total)

ROSPA Gold Medal Award

(6 consecutive Gold Awards)

London Stock Exchange Voted in the as one of the ‘Top 1000’

Companies from a list of over 4.5 million. For fuelling the long-term

growth of the UK economy

Best Growing Business and

overall winner of Essex

Business of the Year 2015

Excellent Customer

Service

Occupational Health

Winners of a Queens Award

for Enterprise in Innovation

Specifically for our App Technology

Occupational Health

Occupational Health

Occupational health issues in groundcare

and treework

By Neil Huck

Occupational Health

Manual Handling Statistics

Hit by moving,

falling object13%

Fall

4%

Hit by moving

vehicle2%

Handling

38%

Trip

23%

Other

20%

Causes of Sickness over 3 Days

Occupational Health

Cumulative Strain

• Strain from mowing large areas of

grass at very steep angles

• Ride on equipment is unable to be

used safely on these angles

• Pedestrian mowers operations

leads to strain to lower back, legs

and ankles

• The operatives were supplied with

footwear with very strong ankle

support and the team was

organised to avoid long periods of

mowing on this grass

Occupational Health

Hand and Arm Vibration Syndrome

Occupational Health

Collective term for a number of injuries

● Damaged nerves, blood vessels, bone and muscles of the hands and arms

● Impaired blood circulation

● Vibration White Finger (VWF) is one form of HAVS

● Caused by prolonged and excessive vibration

Hand and Arm Vibration Syndrome

Occupational Health

First Stages

● Tingling sensation

● Pins and Needles

● May be accompanied by numbness

● Loss of sensation

● Aching digits and limbs

● Stiffness in hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders

● Blanched fingers and numbness (tips at first)

Symptoms and Effects of HAVS

Occupational Health Causes of HAVS

● Item Contractor and Location Machine details Noise ReadingVibration Reading

● 1 A&J Arb, Royston Stihl HS81RC Hedgecutter, 3 months old, their ref: HC18 77-83 3.338

● 2 A&J Arb, Royston Stihl HS81RC Hedgecutter, 3 months old, their ref: HC19 77-82 3.119

● 3 A&J Arb, Royston Husqvarna 560XP Chainsaw, 3 months old, their ref: CS32 84-93 2.917

● 4 AIS, Elsenham Station Stihl HT131 Pole Saw, 6 months old77-87 2.515

● 5 AIS, Elsenham Station Stihl MS261 Top Handle Chainsaw 14”, 6 months old 77-90 2.751

● 6 AIS, Elsenham Station Stihl HS81R Hedge Cutter, 1 year old 76-82 3.793

● 7 AIS, Elsenham Station Stihl KN130R Combi Engine/ Pole Saw, 2 years old. 82-91 4.126

● 8 AIS, Newport Station Stihl MS241 15” Chainsaw, 1 year old 74-90 7.219

● 9 AIS, Newport Station Stihl HS81R Hedge Cutter, 1 year old 77-83 3.673

Occupational Health

Common Vibrating Tools

● Chainsaws

● Strimmers

● Hedge Trimmers

● Leaf Blowers

● Grinders

● Breakers

● Drills

● Pedestrian Mowers

● Turf Care Equipment

Causes of HAVS in Landscaping

Occupational Health

● Monitoring of exposure levels

● Manufacturers records of vibration levels and hours of exposure for each machine

Hand and Arm Vibration Syndrome Prevention

Occupational Health

● Avoid long uninterrupted use of the machine

● Take frequent breaks to allow blood to flow back to hands

● Rotate the use of the machine amongst the team

● Chose machinery with low vibration levels

● Ensure machinery is regularly maintained

● Avoid smoking when using the machines

HAVS Prevention

Occupational Health

● Prolonged exposure high levels of noise can

lead to permanent hearing damage and

loss

● Plus conditions such as tinnitus

Hearing Damage From Work Based Machinery

Occupational Health

Hearing Damage

Do you know what levels of noise your machinery produces?

Occupational Health

Noise Levels from “Ground Control” Commonly used Machinery

● Ride on Mower 110db

● Large pedestrian mower 112db

● Strimmer 114db

● Hedge Trimmer 112db

● Hand Held Leaf Blower 114db

● Chainsaw 120db

Hearing Damage

Occupational Health

Hearing Protection at Work Regulations

● Requires all employers to assess noise levels to which their employees are exposed to

● All equipment producing 80db and above, hearing protection will be provided

● All equipment producing 85db and above, hearing protection must be worn

Hearing Damage

Occupational Health

Mower accident

Occupational Health

Remote mower operation

• Reduced manual

handling and

cumulative strain

injuries

• Removal of

vibration

exposure

• Reduction in

hearing damage

• Removal of ride

mower turn over

risks

Occupational Health

And its still Going on!!

27/03/2017 23

Occupational Health

Construction Dust

● This is a general term used to describe different dusts that you may find on a construction site. There are three main types:

● 1. Silica dust – created when working on silica-containing materials like concrete, mortar and sandstone (also known as respirable crystalline silica or RCS);

● 2. Wood dust – created when working on softwood, hardwood and wood-based products like MDF and plywood;

● 3. Lower toxicity dusts – created when working on materials containing very little or no silica. The most common include gypsum (e.g. in plasterboard), limestone, marble and dolomite.

27/03/2017 24

Occupational Health

Health Risks

● Anyone who breathes in these dusts should know the damage they can do to the lungs and airways. The main dust-related diseases affecting construction workers are:

● Lung cancer;

● Silicosis;

● Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);

● Asthma.

27/03/2017 25

Occupational Health

Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum

Occupational Health

Giant Hogweed problem

Occupational Health

Giant Hogweed problem

● Grows to a height of 3m with large leaves 600mm across

● Flowers are 400 to 600mm across with up to 1000 seed per flower head

● Found in damp areas and along water courses

● Contact with the hairs on the leaves and stem, as well the sap, will cause burning and blistering of the skin

● Long term photo sensitisation of the skin

Occupational Health

Wild Parsnip

Occupational Health

Wild Parsnip

● This is a relatively new invasive species found mainly in Kent, Sussex, and Norfolk it causes a large number of injuries in Europe and USA

● Injuries are mainly confined to grounds maintenance operatives when strimming, it makes Hogweed burns look mild

Occupational Health

Sheep and deer ticks, Lyme's disease's

Occupational Health

Injuries Invasive species of insects

Brown Tailed Moth

Occupational Health

Brown Tailed Moth

● Causes sever skin irritation and asthma with humans

● Defoliate trees and shrubs and they build a large numbers of webbing nests on trees and shrubs

● Mainly found on members of the Roseace

● At risk are grounds maintenance team members when pruning shrub beds and hedges

● Control by the use of Deltametherine insecticide and physical removal of the wedding nests

Occupational Health

Oak Processionary Moth rash

Occupational Health

OPM Caterpillars

Occupational Health

OPM NESTS

Large Oak tree in Walton on Thames Queen Elizabeth Res, with 18 nest in the

tree which had to be removed

Occupational Health

2016 Position

Occupational Health

Black Thorn health issues

Arboricultural operator pruning a large length of

mature black thorn hedge 8m high

He had one thorn in his finger 4 days later a

second one

The infection spread very quickly into his hand

The hand became septic and had to be drained

and cleaned out

Evidence has shown there is an increased

reaction to thorn strikes

Occupational Health

Drug use paraphernalia indicates the hazard to our operatives and is a growing problem

Occupational Health

Compulsory Drugs and Alcohol testing

● Alcohol miss use in the work place can cause injury and damage

● Alcohol and drug use in the work place can impair judgement when operation plant and machinery

● The effects on operatives can be a problem in the work place for days after use, putting others at risk

● Certain prescribed medication will also impair judgement and employers must be made aware of operative who are prescribed drugs or treatment

Occupational Health

Here are just a few we test for!

27/03/2017 41

Occupational Health

Training at Ground Control

Certified In-House Training;

● QCF Emergency First Aid at Work

● NPTC City and Guilds Machinery Assessments

● Rider Mower

● Pedestrian Mower

● Strimmer

● Hedge Trimmer

● Coming Soon… Brushcutter

● NPTC City and Guilds Pesticide Assessments

● PA1 Safe Use of Pesticides

● PA6A & PA6AW Knapsack Sprayer Land & Near Water

● EUSR

● Water Hygiene

● SHEA Power

● S.P.A. – UKPIA Working on Petrol Stations

● BALI ROLO Health and Safety Course

● CIWM Waste Management – Wastesmart Training

Occupational Health

GC Learning & Ground Control Certified Training

We constantly look to add to our in-house course selection and offer the current courses self certified by Ground Control;

● Behavioural Safety

● Abrasive Wheels

● CAT 4 Cable Avoidance

● Manual Handling

● Sharps and Needle sticks

Recently introduced GC Learning an online learning portal which currently holds over 100 courses ranging in subjects from health

and safety to professional skills and customer service.

Occupational Health

Training at Ground Control

We work with training providers across the country facilitate training for our staff in the following areas:

● Arboriculture

● Chainsaw Qualifications

● Utility Arboriculture Qualifications

● Basic and Professional Tree Inspection

● PTS for Rail Arboriculture

● Landscape Construction

● SSSTS & SMSTS

● CSCS

● Telehandler, 360 Digger, and other machinery

● NPTC City and Guilds Safe use of Pesticide courses we do not offer in-house

● Professional development courses we do not offer in-house

Occupational Health

Thank You!Any Questions?