Team preparing to trim a residential hedge in Limehouse

Health and Safety Policy — Hedge Trimming Limehouse

Hedge Trimming Limehouse is committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, clients and members of the public affected by our gardening, hedge maintenance and trimming activities. This policy sets out the overarching approach to risk management, safe systems of work and continual improvement for all operations involving hedge cutting, pruning and site clearance across our service area.

Supervisor conducting a site risk assessment before hedge maintenance

Scope and objectives

The policy applies to all staff and subcontractors engaged in Limehouse hedge trimming, routine hedge maintenance and associated tasks such as waste handling, transport and storage of equipment. Our objectives are to prevent work-related injury and ill health, ensure legal and industry best-practice standards are observed and to promote a safety-first culture through training, supervision and monitoring.

Roles, responsibilities and competence

Responsibility for implementing this policy rests with senior management who will ensure adequate resources are allocated to safety. Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for ensuring safe working procedures are followed, and operatives are expected to work safely and report hazards. Everyone engaged in hedge cutting and maintenance must be competent or supervised until competence is demonstrated.

List of hazards and control measures for hedge trimming activities Key duties include:

Management: develop and maintain risk assessments, safe systems of work and inspection regimes.
Supervisors: brief teams, check PPE and equipment, maintain records and enforce safe practices.
Operatives: follow method statements, use protective equipment and report defects or incidents promptly.

Risk assessment and control measures

All hedge operations must be preceded by a site-specific risk assessment that identifies hazards such as fall from height when accessing tall hedges, cutting injuries, contact with hidden services, manual handling strain and traffic interaction on public footpaths. Assessments will recommend control measures prioritised by elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment.

Typical control measures implemented for hedge work include:

Use of appropriate cutting tools maintained and guarded to specification;
Use of stable access equipment for elevated work and exclusion zones to prevent public access;
Provision of high-visibility clothing, chainsaw trousers where required, gloves, eye and ear protection;
Manual handling training and mechanical aids for lifting heavy debris or equipment;
Pre-start checks, service and maintenance schedules for power tools and petrol machinery.

Safe systems, permits and plant control

Work activities that present significant risk, such as use of powered saws near pedestrian routes or operating machinery adjacent to highways, will be controlled by written method statements and, where necessary, permit-to-work arrangements. Plant and equipment will be selected to match the task, operated by trained personnel and inspected before use.

First aid kit and incident reporting forms for gardening teams Incidents, near misses and first aid

Any incident or near miss must be reported immediately so that remedial action and lessons learned can be applied. First aid arrangements appropriate to the service area will be maintained; appointed first aiders and emergency procedures will be communicated to all staff. Where incidents involve the public or serious injury, emergency services will be summoned without delay and the site secured.

Crew conducting equipment inspection and safety briefing prior to work

Monitoring, review and continuous improvement

We will monitor health and safety performance through workplace inspections, toolbox talks, audits and analysis of incident records. Records of training, equipment maintenance and risk assessments will be retained and reviewed periodically. This policy will be subject to formal review at least annually or when significant changes in operations, equipment or legislation occur.

Communication and training

All personnel will receive induction training that covers the content of this policy, risk awareness specific to hedge work and emergency procedures. Ongoing training, competency checks and supervised on-the-job coaching ensure standards are maintained and improved. Contractors working on our behalf will be required to demonstrate equivalent safety standards.

Final statement

The management team endorses and will actively support the implementation of this Health and Safety Policy for hedge trimming, hedge care and related gardening services within the Limehouse service area. Commitment to safe practice, continual risk reduction and worker wellbeing is integral to our operations. All employees are expected to co-operate fully with safety arrangements and to contribute to a safe working environment through vigilance, reporting and adherence to controls.