Grounds Equipment and Worker Safety
March 19, 2015
Keeping grounds employees safe is the most important component of mower fleet management. The best way to ensure safety is to have each employee go through a comprehensive training program.
Even if employees have been trained in the past, it is critical to have them re-trained, especially when purchasing a new piece of equipment with which they might not be familiar.
Most departments already have safety programs in place for employees, but for departments that do not, managers can lean on dealers for training.
After buying new equipment, manufacturers generally insist on providing training to equipment operators and mechanics and will make themselves readily available to answer additional questions. This effort is due to the liability manufacturers assume when selling any type of equipment to an end user.
Even after safety training, managers can reduce additional risk of incidents occurring by making sure mower operators use equipment as directed and follow safety instructions. For example, operators should never remove safety guards or shields, leave a running lawn mower unattended, or tamper with any of the mower safety switches.
They also should never disable rollover protection. Mower accidents can be quite serious, leading to serious injuries or even deaths.
By following the operator's manual and educating operators and mechanics about the potential hazards of using the equipment, managers can keep the fleet safe from accidents.
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