Are you a florist?
In search of a health and safety risk assessment tailored to your activity?
Do you need a pre-filled assessment to save you hours of work?
Want to be in compliance with safety regulations?
 
Our Health and Safety Risk Assessment is designed to meet your needs with:
→ A professional risk assessment totally specific to florists.
→ Risk prevention proposals dedicated to florists.
→ Integration of risks linked to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
 
All this in an easily editable Excel format, allowing you to make personalized updates on your own.
 
FEATURES OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
This 5-page Excel file includes:
A Cover Page
A Company Information page
A presentation of the Risk Assessment Methodology used.
An occupational risks assessment tailored to your sector of activity.
A risk prevention schedule with all the different safety measures.

It contains 36 occupational risk situations classified into 8 work units:
Floral composition
Store traffic
Customer contact
Collection
Store cleaning
Loading / Unloading vehicles
Road travel
Work premises
Working environment
 
☑ Complies with the employer's obligation to assess risks
(Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Adheres to the General Principles of Prevention
(Schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Takes into account good practice and pitfalls in risk assessment
(Report RR151 from the Health and Safety Executive)
 
EXCERPTS FROM THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
The danger of using sharp and/or pointed tools: Florists have to create floral arrangements on a daily basis for the store's customers. To make these arrangements, they need to use a variety of tools, such as secateurs (e.g. to adjust stem length), florist's knives (e.g. to bevel stems), all-purpose cutters (to cut the toughest woody stems), wire cutters (e.g. to cut the wires that will embellish the bouquets). The risks are present whenever florists use cutting tools, whether sharp or pointed. Among florists, most accidents with injuries occur when these cutting tools are used in a hurry (to cope with high demand), or while multitasking (e.g. answering the phone). Failure to wear suitable protective gloves (EN388 mark) is an aggravating factor. The main possible injuries resulting from the use of sharp or pointed tools are superficial cuts (involving only the skin) or deep cuts (which may involve a nerve, muscle, tendon, vein or aorta). In rarer cases, the use of these tools may result in the severing of a limb. Finally, the wounds that form as a result of these cuts are capable of becoming infected in the absence of disinfection.
 
The danger of manual handling when the store is busy: When the store is busy, florists have to carry out a lot of manual handling. This is because the various potted plants have to be placed in the store one by one, by hand. Even if all the potted plants are sold individually, their weight can be considerable, as the material used can be heavy (e.g. terracotta) and the soil it contains, if waterlogged, increases the overall weight. For florists, the risks associated with manual handling will be greatest when handling heavy, bulky unit products: plants, bags of potting soil, watering cans, etc. Several other criteria will increase the risks: long handling distances, difficulty in moving around the store (cluttered premises, slippery floors after water or soil spills, etc.), and above all, the way loads are carried (good / bad posture). In the short term, the possible risks associated with handling are pain, particularly muscular pain, mainly affecting the upper limbs. In the long term, manual handling can lead to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) affecting muscles, tendons and nerves in the upper limbs (epicondylitis of the shoulders, carpal tunnel syndrome of the elbows and thighs, etc.).
 
The danger of contact with prickly and/or sharp plants: When creating floral arrangements, florists have to handle prickly and/or sharp plants, such as roses with their thorns. Some plants sold in the store may also be prickly, such as cacti. Finally, certain herbs used for decorative purposes can be sharp, as their thin thickness can produce the same effects as a blade on the skin, forming wounds. The risks associated with these prickly and/or sharp plants are present when handling them, whether for floral arrangements (e.g. bouquets of roses) or for maintenance (e.g. pruning plants). [end of extract]
 
 
A GUARANTEE OF THE QUALITY OF OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
_ We're registered as Professional Risk Prevention Consultants.
_ Our team comprises graduate safety engineers.
_ Our documents are routinely checked by safety inspectors.
_ We frequently update our Occupational Risk Assessments.
 
RESOURCES 
_ "Occupational Health And Safety in the floristry industry: scenarios" by Bloom College.