Do you run a horticultural business?
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 horticulture.
→ Risk prevention proposals dedicated to horticulturists.
→ 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 27 occupational risk situations classified into 7 work units:
Manual work on crops
Work with machinery on crops
Sales: customer contact
Road Transport
Business Management - Administration
Work Environment
Work Premises
 
☑ 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 
 
Hazard from constrained postures: Horticultural work requires numerous demanding postures: prolonged kneeling, squatting, arms raised, bent back, or standing still on uneven ground. These positions place significant strain on the muscles and joints of the back, shoulders, knees, and wrists, leading to a progressive deterioration of the anatomical structures involved due to repeated heavy stress. Strenuous postures are common in almost all activities performed by horticulturists: planting, pruning, manual weeding, transplanting in greenhouses, etc. These are exacerbated when the ergonomics of the workstation are not correct (typically: working at the wrong height), especially if a high work pace must be maintained. The lack of task rotation among colleagues to reduce exposure is a critical factor. The most common effects are diffuse pain, muscle tension, stiffness, or joint inflammation. Over time, these disorders can develop into chronic conditions: tendinitis, lower back pain, neck pain, sciatica. Prolonged work on one's knees can particularly lead to a hygroma (also known as bursitis) or meniscal lesions, resulting in a loss of mobility.
 
Hazard from repetitive movements: Many horticultural tasks involve performing repetitive movements with the upper limbs, often at a sustained pace: pruning, transplanting, defoliating, potting, packaging. These movements place intense strain on the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and fingers. When performed over years of a professional career, these actions can damage the tendons, nerves, and joints involved. In horticulture, repetitive movements are present at every stage of horticultural production, particularly during periods of high activity (such as sowing, transplanting, harvesting, and order preparation). The risk increases when tasks are performed over many hours, without task alternation and without breaks. A poorly arranged workstation (incorrect height adjustment) is a critical factor. The most common damage caused by repetitive movements includes muscle pain and joint pain in the short term. In the long term, these movements can lead to chronic tendinitis (particularly in the wrist or shoulder), carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of the nerve in the wrist), or epicondylitis (inflammation of the tendons at the elbow).
 
Manual handling hazard: Horticulturists regularly handle heavy, cumbersome or unstable loads (e.g. bags of potting soil, crates of plants, pallets, hoops, plastic reels, etc.). These repeated efforts, often carried out without mechanical assistance, place significant strain on the back, shoulders, wrists, and knees, leading to short-term discomfort, but more importantly, long-term musculoskeletal damage. Tasks requiring manual handling are a daily occurrence for horticulturists. These may arise, for example, during loading and unloading (crates of plants, bags of fertiliser or compost, etc.), as well as during tidying operations (e.g., tools and machinery at the end of the day). Performing manual handling without assistance is the main critical factor. In the short term, manual handling will be responsible for muscular and joint pain, particularly in the wrists, arms, shoulders, and back. In the long term, manual handling will lead to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in the upper limbs, including injuries to the spine, shoulders (tendinopathy), and wrists (carpal tunnel syndrome).
 
 
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 
_ "Workplace Hazards in Horticulture" by Chichester College.