Safe Use of Ground Equipment

In this lesson you will learn why safety comes first on the ground. Mowers, rollers, scarifiers, strimmers and tractors can cause amputations, crushing injuries, burns and eye injuries in a moment. Fuel is flammable and turf chemicals can harm health and the environment. Most accidents come from familiar causes: untrained operators, missing guards, clearing blockages with the engine running, rushing, and people too close to working machines. Good habits prevent almost all of them. This module explains those habits, but it cannot replace accredited training, the manufacturer's instructions or professional advice.

• Machines can cause serious injury instantly
• Fuel and chemicals carry hazards
• Most accidents have familiar causes
• Good habits prevent most accidents

In this lesson you will learn how risk assessment works. Before a task, think about what could cause harm, who might be harmed and how, and what controls are needed, such as training, guards, protective equipment, barriers or timing work when the ground is empty. The club should keep written risk assessments for its main tasks and machines, in line with health and safety law and regulations on work equipment. Read them before you start, and if anything has changed, such as weather, slope or the presence of children, stop and think again. If the risk cannot be controlled, do not do the job.

• Identify hazards and who could be harmed
• Put controls in place before starting
• Read the club's written risk assessments
• If it cannot be controlled, do not do it

In this lesson you will learn the WFA rule on authorisation. No member may operate any powered ground machinery until they have been trained on that specific machine, assessed as competent and authorised by the club. Authorisation is recorded, and covers only the machines you have been signed off on. Read the operator's manual. Under-18s must not operate powered machinery and should only help with supervised, low-risk tasks. Recognised training is available through turf and machinery training providers, the ECB's groundsmanship programme and, for chemicals, accredited certificate of competence courses. Your WFA badge does not on its own authorise machine use.

• Trained, assessed and authorised per machine
• Authorisation is recorded
• Under-18s must not operate powered machines
• WFA badges do not authorise machine use

In this lesson you will learn about personal protective equipment, often called PPE. The right PPE depends on the task and is set out in the risk assessment. Sturdy footwear, ideally with protective toe caps, is essential around mowers and rollers. Hearing protection is needed with noisy machines. Eye protection and a face visor are important with strimmers. Gloves protect hands when handling blades, fuel or chemicals, and chemical labels may specify particular gloves, overalls or face protection. Avoid loose clothing, jewellery and long hair that could catch. PPE is the last line of defence, so it supports, not replaces, safe working.

• Sturdy, protective footwear
• Hearing and eye protection as needed
• Gloves and label-specified chemical PPE
• No loose clothing or jewellery

In this lesson you will learn the core rules of safe operation. Do your pre-use checks, and never use a machine with missing or damaged guards. Clear the area of stones, balls and debris. Keep people, especially children, well away, and stop if anyone approaches. Never clear blockages or adjust blades with the engine running: stop, remove the key or spark plug lead, and wait for moving parts to stop. Take care on slopes, banks and wet grass, following the manufacturer's limits. Never carry passengers. Do not work when tired, unwell or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Pre-use checks; never use without guards
• Clear the area and keep people away
• Isolate before clearing blockages
• No passengers; never work impaired

In this lesson you will learn to handle fuel and chemicals safely. Store fuel in approved, labelled containers in a secure, ventilated place away from ignition sources. Refuel outdoors with the engine off and cool, never while smoking, and clean up spills. Charge batteries as the manufacturer directs. Turf chemicals such as pesticides must only be handled by people holding the appropriate certificate of competence, used exactly as the label directs, and stored in a locked, dedicated store. Follow the club's arrangements for hazardous substances, and know where the safety data sheets are kept.

• Approved, labelled fuel containers
• Refuel outdoors with the engine off and cool
• Chemicals only by certificated people
• Locked store and safety data sheets

In this lesson you will learn what to do when working alone and if something goes wrong. Avoid using machinery when nobody else is at the ground, and if you must work alone, tell someone where you are and when you expect to finish, and carry a charged phone. Know where the first aid kit is and who the first aiders are. In an emergency, make the area safe if you can do so without danger, call 999 or 112 for serious injuries, and give first aid only within your training. Afterwards, report the incident to the club so lessons can be learned.

• Avoid machinery when alone
• Tell someone and carry a phone
• Know the first aid kit and first aiders
• Call 999 or 112 for serious injuries

In this lesson you will learn why reporting matters. If a machine is damaged, a guard is loose or something does not feel right, stop using it, label it clearly as out of use and tell the lead groundsperson. Report near misses too, such as a stone thrown by a mower or a slip on a slope, because they warn of future accidents. Keep machinery serviced as the manufacturer recommends and record servicing. Store machines securely, with keys removed, so children or untrained people cannot use them. A culture of honest reporting keeps everyone at Winnston Park safe.

• Stop, label and report faulty equipment
• Report near misses too
• Keep servicing records
• Store securely with keys removed