Hazards in Landscaping Industry

This report discusses the hazards in the landscaping industry and provides recommendations for ensuring workplace safety and well-being. It covers chemical hazards, biological hazards, noise hazards, plant hazards, and manual handling hazards. The report also includes risk assessment and control measures for each hazard.

Running Head: HAZARDS IN LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY
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Work, Health, Safety and Well Being
Hazards in Landscaping Company: Floral Landscaping Company
(Student details :)
3/17/2019

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Contents
Work, Health, Safety and Well Being........................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Identifying the hazards...............................................................................................................2
Chemical Hazards..................................................................................................................2
Biological Hazards.................................................................................................................3
Noise Hazards........................................................................................................................4
Plant Hazards.........................................................................................................................4
Manual Handling....................................................................................................................4
Assessing the risks.....................................................................................................................5
Controlling Risks.......................................................................................................................5
Biological and Chemical Hazards Controlling......................................................................5
Noise Hazards Controlling.....................................................................................................6
Manual handling hazards controlling.....................................................................................6
Plant hazards controlling........................................................................................................7
Monitoring & Evaluating Controls............................................................................................7
Recommendations......................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

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Work, Health, Safety and Well Being
Introduction
This report is based on work place safety, health and well-being within the context of a
landscaping company named as Floral Landscaping Company (referred as FLC). In this
context, at the FLC, every contract task has to have a safe work process established
specifically for specific situation. Here, FLC has recently received a novel contract to
landscape a newly made head office complex which is located on a sloping ground. This
report is being made on the behalf of the safety officer on the likely hazards related with the
jobs at any landscaping company. To do so, the paper will use 4 key steps include identifying
hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks and evaluating risk controls. While identifying
hazards, chemical, noise, biological, manual handling as well as plant hazards will be
considered. With the help of this paper risk assessment using the principles of the Singapore
WHS Council (2015) Code of Practice on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Risk
Management will be undertaken (WSH Council, 2014). Furthermore, this report will also
include recommendations for future while considering risk prioritisation and hierarchy of
controls. In this way, the report will demonstrate the effective risk assessment and
management for all respective hazards (Careersin Audit, 2013).
Identifying the hazards
In order to identify the hazards, potential health hazards within landscaping work are
considered. The step of identifying hazards is the first key step of risk management process.
In this way, workplace health hazards in FLC are categorized into following hazard kinds:
Chemical Hazards
All hazardous chemicals fall into this category of hazards, such as oxidising substances,
corrosive substances and explosives. There are so many substances which are dangerous
chemicals for the workforce health in FLC. These substances are as follows:
 Flammable chemicals
 Corrosive chemicals
 Pyrophoric chemicals

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 Self-heating chemicals
 Organic peroxides
 Gases under pressure
 Chemicals which emit flammable gases while contacting water
 Other hazardous chemicals are mutagens, teratogens, carcinogens, irritants as well as
self-reactive substances (Government of Singapore, 2012).
In this context, there are examples of chemicals which are frequently utilised in landscaping
industry. The examples are pesticides like calixin tridemorph, dimethoate and captan.
Furthermore, fertilisers such as rock phosphate, potash, dolomite and iron chelate are also
identified as the hazardous chemicals. In addition, these harmful chemicals can harm
workforce of the FLC in following ways:
 Skin Contact: human skin slowly absorb chemicals in form of gases
 Ingestion: through eating, swallowing chemicals get rapidly absorbed
 Inhalation: through breathing in human workforce working in FLC can absorb the
chemicals rapidly
 Splashes: this is the way through which chemical contact with the eyes, skin, and
mucous membranes of human workforce. Thus, chemical hazards are the risks
identified associated with human central nervous system caused by the chemicals
used within the working at FLC (WSH Council, 2015).
 Use of compost to replenish the soil and chemical fertiliser; liquid fertiliser as well as
hand shovel work for the compost and a mixture of the backhoe will constitute to the
chemical hazards (WSH Council, 2015).
Biological Hazards
Biological workplace hazards include viruses, bacteria, fungi (mold), microorganisms as well
as the associated toxins. They are hazardous because they carry the capability of adversely
affecting workers’ health in many ways, right from comparatively mild, allergic responses to
critical medical settings, even death also (Reddy, 2018).
As we know that such organisms are usually widespread in our natural environment;
biological hazards can be found in water, air, soil, plants, as well as animals. Hence, all above
discussed biological hazards are a potential danger in a broad variety of occupational
situations (Sadgrove, 2016).

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Source: (Government of Singapore, 2012)
Noise Hazards
Noise beyond the prescribed and bearable limits is harmful for all workers of FLC, for an
example acoustic trauma occurs because of the high impact noise. Moreover, noise induced
deafness can occur among workers after long-term exposure to loud noise. In addition, there
are several risk factors which are associated with hearing loss include exposure duration,
sound pressure extent, susceptibility and frequency. Additionally, other noise hazards are
annoyance, tinnitus, irritation and most importantly disruption of job performance (Archer,
2018).
Plant Hazards
In this context, plant hazards like plant thorns, plant saps are also hazardous to the human
workforce within the context of landscaping sector. Moreover, planting trees, lawn, shrubs,
clearing the current vegetation, untying the topsoil will cause plant hazards. Furthermore,
utilisation of herbicides for preventing re-growth of weeds will also cause hazards for FLC
workforce (Colquitt et al., 2011).
Manual Handling
In this context, contouring surface to make it suited with the landscaping design while using
petrol-driven bush cutters, as well as small excavators or backhoe for moving the soil around

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comes under manual handling hazards. In addition, selective placement of huge boulders,
along with decomposed granite for the paths will also cause some manual handling hazards
(Gartner, 2018).
Assessing the risks
Here, we will review relevant safety as well as health regulations for assessing legislated
needs. Risk-assessment is the procedure of assessing the likeliness and concerns of health
illness or injury causing through an exposure to the all identified hazards, as well as
determining the proper measures for risk controlling (Clarke, 2017). In this way, risk
assessment for the above identified hazards is as follows:
Likelihood Very
Likely
Likely Unlikely Highly
Unlikely
Consequences Biological Hazards High High High Low
Chemical Hazards High High Low Low
Noise Hazards High High Medium Low
Manual Handling
Hazards
High High Low Low
Plant Hazards High Low Low Low
Controlling Risks
Prevention and control measures come under this step of risk-assessment within the context
of FLC workplace safety and well-being (Di Serio et al., 2011). Hence, following are the
controlling measures of identified risks in this paper:
Biological and Chemical Hazards Controlling
The chemical hazards can be controlled at the three major instances include at the source end,
at the receiver end and along the path. Hence, at the source end the controlling measures of
chemical risks include substitution and elimination. Additionally, through the process of
modification, automation, enclosure of process, containment, isolation, local exhausts
ventilation, wet method and maintenance of equipment, controlling is possible. Along the
path chemical hazards controlling can occur through access control, housekeeping, and area
monitoring and dilution ventilation (Lai et al., 2011). In addition, at the receiving end

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controlling practices such as rotation of workers, personal monitoring, biological monitoring
and personal hygiene control methods can be used to control risks (National science
foundation, 2008).
Source: (Careersin Audit, 2013)
Noise Hazards Controlling
As per the above figure, noise hazards can be controlled for the entire workforce of FLC
through the hierarchy of control. In this context, first step of control process suggests to
eliminate the unnecessary noisy processes completely. Second essential measure suggests
that FLC should substitute all those equipment which are producing excessive noise with the
equipment’s with comparatively lesser noise emission (Government of Singapore, 2012).
Furthermore, third measure of noise control suggests that FLC should use engineering
controlling measures like silencers. In addition, next stage of controlling noise risks is
containing training or reducing exposure time so as to reduce the risk extent. Finally, the last
measure of noise hazards controlling includes hearing protectors like ear plugs (SHF, 2018).

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Manual handling hazards controlling
Adopting correct postures while manually handling stuffs during operation at the FLC,
workforce can prevent risks associated with the manual handling processes. Furthermore,
controlling measures can be further divided into two major categories as follows:
Engineering control measures: by using supportive devices like trolleys, hoists as well as
vacuum lifting devices, manual handing risks can be prevented at FLC (Reference for
Business, 2018).
Administrative controlling measures: administration can also utilise many preventive as well
as controlling ways for their employees include:
 recruiting supportive staff for help
 adopting job rotation as job design
 offering breaks of adequate lengths
 providing training for the use of heavy equipment as well as right handling techniques
 Offering info to the employees over the risks and negative health impacts of manual
handling (Van, 2009).
Plant hazards controlling
Employees of FLC should check about the insect nests around the places they will start their
work
 FLC should engage pest control firm for removing nests of wasps, bees and hornets.
 FLC should equip workers with the hand protection and protective clothing
 FLC should offer education and training regarding prevention and control of various
job hazards to their all of the workers
 FLC should have effective hygiene and personal cleansing practices
 FLC workforce should always carry their personal protective equipment (Archer,
2018).
Monitoring & Evaluating Controls
In this context, an implementation of a comprehensive safety and health program is essential.
Workplace safety and health programs are important while providing a safe as well as

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profitable workplace (WSH Council, 2014). Besides, monitoring and evaluating control
include frequent medical examinations as follows:
 Monitoring as well as evaluating whether present controls are effective or not
 Detecting an extreme immersion of hazardous chemicals
 Letting early detection and prevention of workforces with work-related diseases
 FLC ensuring that all workforces stay fit for their respective work-functions (WSH
Council, 2015).
Moreover, monitoring and evaluating control measures can be executed through development
and implementation of workplace health programme in order to manage the identified
hazards. In addition, monitoring and evaluation of controlling measures should also consider
natural disasters, acts of violence, gas leakages, power failures and pandemic planning in a
way that no preventive measures left behind while evaluating controlling measures. On the
other hand, FLC should understand the workforce’ rights, responsibilities, duties as per the
code of conduct given by WSH. Moreover, an emergency plan is also a legal requirement
which need to be included in monitoring systems (Government of Singapore, 2012). Finally,
FLC should review the emergency plan as well as procedures for managing the work place
health, safety and well-being effectively.
Recommendations
Useful recommendations for ensuring an effective work place health, safety and well-being at
FLC are as follows:
 A provision of first-aid must be there, as it is about treating a hurt person immediately
as well as contacting an emergency service if needed. In this way, to save life of
someone in extreme cases first-aid must be there.
 All working sites of FLC should have an adequate number of skilled and trained first-
aid personnel to prevent the workplace risks.
 In industries like landscaping, FLC should make sure that administration and
management of the company is providing PPE which stands for personal protective
equipment whenever required. In addition, FLC should always ensure that PPEs are
well-cleaned, maintained as well as replaced whenever necessary.
 All employees should speak to their supervisors or suppliers for any required
guidance on the work place functions related risks or damages.

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 FLC should be more careful about their workers during excavation works. As we
know that every year, workers are seriously injured or killed while working in
excavations. Hence, excavation work always should be effectively planned,
supervised, managed, as well as carried out for preventing landscaping accidents.
In this way, this report will guide for workforce, managers and other employees of FLC who
are involved in recently assigned project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this report has successfully utilized the risk-evaluation matrices within
the Code of Practice. With the help of principles of the Singapore WHS Council (2015) Code
of Practice on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Risk Management, risk assessment of
FLC functioning undertaken successfully. In addition, four major steps have been utilised to
conduct the risk-assessment of the FLC Company’s new project. Identification of the risk
hazards has been done with the help of five main hazards categories include plant, chemical,
noise, biological and manual handling hazards. Post identifying hazards, assessing the risks
has been done to find the probabilities and occurrence of the identified hazards. In addition,
controlling and prevention of identified risks and hazards has also been discussed in detail.
Besides, importance of prevention measures has been demonstrated while providing
prevention and control for every risks identified for the employees of FLC within this paper.
Furthermore, with the help of this report writer has monitored as well as evaluated all
narrated controlling measures. Finally, after discussing all four steps of risk-assessment
process report has recommended useful suggestions to the FLC Company as well as their
efficient workforce.

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