What PPE Should I Wear When Using Garden Machinery?

 

Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when using garden tools and machinery is all about exercising a bit of common sense, in what can potentially be an extremely hazardous environment. In fact, it’s fair to say that whether you’re a hobby gardener or seasoned professional landscaper, wearing the right PPE in certain situations can be a real lifesaver.

And if you represent a business that employs people who operate garden tools and machinery, providing the correct personal protective equipment at work is your legal responsibility.

In this PPE Guide, we’ll start by taking a look at potential hazards in the garden. We’ll then show you the personal protective clothing and equipment that we sell, along with some advice on when you’ll need to use it. Finally, we’ll wrap things up by explaining the other safety measures you can take to help minimise risk when you’re using tools and machinery in the garden.

Potential Hazards in the Garden

Most garden tools and machinery are fitted with sharp blades, which often rotate at high speeds and generate a lot of noise. They can also create other risks, such as flying debris and exposure to hazardous fluids.

Therefore, before using any garden tool or machinery, it’s essential that you carry out a proper risk assessment to analyse the potential dangers of the task in hand. By doing this, you will get a clear idea of the type of personal safety equipment required for your work.

Your wider working environment presents a further set of potential risks. These can range from adverse weather conditions and prickly plants to manual handling and working at height.

In short, when you’re working in the garden, it’s highly likely that you’ll require some form of  personal protective gear. To illustrate this fact, recent official figures showed that 87,000 people were injured, over the course of just one year, while gardening or carrying out garden-based DIY.

Personal Safety Equipment

With all of the above in mind, we’re proud to say that Ron Smith & Co. sells a comprehensive range of PPE to help keep you, our valued customers, safe in the garden. And so that you can find exactly the type of personal protective gear that you need, we’ve divided our garden PPE supplies into a series of sub categories. These are boots, ear and face protection, gloves, helmets, jackets and tops, trousers and braces.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these types of PPE equipment right now, along with the circumstances of when you’ll need to use them…

Boots

(Essential when using brush cutters, strimmers, chainsaws and hedge trimmers.)

PPE boots’ main function is to protect your feet if they come into contact with a sharp or falling object. Consequently, they will invariably be sturdier than regular boots and probably designed with reinforced toe caps.

Ideally, protective boots should also be waterproof and have non-slip soles, with additional safety features dependent on the price tag.

And if you’re operating a chainsaw, where PPE is particularly important, it’s good to know that your chainsaw boots meet official British and European safety standards too.

You can find all of our protective boots here.

Ear and Face Protection

(Use safety glasses with brush cutters, strimmers and hedge trimmers; safety glasses and face protection with chainsaws; and ear defenders with any garden machinery with a dB(A) of over 85.)

Our ear and face protection category encompasses ear defenders, visors, safety glasses and protective goggles, along with personal equipment items that include a combination of these things.

You should use ear protection if the garden machinery’s weighted decibel level is above 85 dB(A). This information should be clarified in the machine’s operating instructions, but will probably include most electric and petrol-powered garden machinery.

The level of protection offered by the ear defenders is shown by their single number rating (SNR), which will also be detailed in their instruction manual. You should choose the appropriate level of ear protection by subtracting the defenders’ SNR from the garden machinery’s dB(A), the aim being to reduce the noise level to between 70 and 85 dB(A). This should protect your ears, without dangerously impairing your hearing. Find out more about this here.

Regarding face protection, an important thing to note is that visors must never be used as a substitute for safety eye glasses. It is not an either/ or scenario. If the garden machinery in question requires you to use safety eyewear glasses, that’s what you should do.

View our full range of ear and face protection now.

Gloves

(Some type of protective glove should be worn when operating most garden machinery, and whenever handling a tool or machine’s blade.)

Our PPE gloves category includes chainsaw gloves, waterproof work gloves, and those designed as simple gardening PPE.

The level of protection offered by the gloves obviously varies. Those made purely as PPE for gardeners are designed just to prevent cuts from prickly plants, while those used as chainsaw protective gear have far more padding and will help dampen the machine’s vibrations.

Of course, two additional benefits of wearing PPE gloves are that they improve your grip on the garden machine and keep your hands warm in winter.

See our complete range of protective gloves here.

Helmets

(Use a helmet whenever you’re working at height, and in areas where there’s a risk of falling objects.)

There’s no more important part of your body to protect than your head, which is why wearing a hard hat is mandatory on construction sites.

It’s also vital to protect it when using garden tools and machinery at height, or if there’s a risk of being hit by a falling object.

To ensure you’re properly protected and remain comfortable, protective helmets should always be fully adjustable. Some of the models we sell come with visors and ear defenders too, making them a really comprehensive piece of personal protective gear.

Shop our protective hard hats/ helmets for sale now.

Jackets and Tops

(Use a base layer and/ or protective jacket when operating any garden machinery if it enhances your comfort and safety.)

This type of personal protective clothing encompasses base layers and jackets, the former being the item of protective clothing closest to your skin.

Base layer PPE’s primarily designed with your comfort in mind. After all, being comfortable at work also helps keep you safe. They are usually long sleeved garments, which provide a layer of insulation but with moisture-wicking properties. This makes them particularly effective when you’re using garden tools and machinery, for demanding work, in colder weather.

Technical jackets are made from durable, weatherproof materials, and sometimes feature padded sections for added protection from sharp or heavy objects. They are also high visibility – a useful feature if you’re working outside the confines of your own garden. And with plenty of pocket space for hand tools, snacks and small knick-knacks too, they make an invaluable form of landscaping PPE.

Find our protective clothing PPE jackets and tops here.

Trousers and Braces

(Protective trousers should be worn whenever operating a chainsaw or brush cutter.)

This category includes base layer trousers, waterproof trousers, those designed to be used with brush cutters, and chainsaw trousers. We also sell braces to wear with them.

Chainsaw protective clothing is particularly important, so these types of trousers are always made from tough, durable materials. The best pairs feature multiple layers of protection and cut-protective inserts.

This type of chainsaw PPE is designed so that if the material comes into contact with a chainsaw, the saw tears out the individual fibres, which then wrap themselves around the sprocket and stop the saw.

View chainsaw trousers, braces and more now.

Other Ways to Remain Safe in the Garden

Wearing the right PPE isn’t the only way you can help keep yourself safe when operating tools and garden machinery.

Know Your Garden Machinery

This starts with reading the instruction manual, familiarising yourself with the controls, and getting to understand the safety mechanisms.

Also, treat your garden tools and machinery with the respect they deserve. This involves regular cleaning; testing and maintenance; providing suitable storage; and arranging annual servicing appointments with a qualified technician.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Even if you’re working in the familiar surroundings of your own garden, you still need to expect the unexpected.

So, before you use garden tools and machinery, clear your workspace of obstacles and inspect it for potential hazards, as well as ensuring that young children and pets remain outside the area at all times.

Stay Alert!

You should never operate garden machinery if you are feeling tired, unwell, or under the influence of alcohol.

Be aware that certain types of medication can affect your judgement too. If in any doubt, consult your doctor to avoid compromising your safety.

Personal Protective Gear for Sale

Here, at Ron Smith, we take our customers’ health and safety extremely seriously, which is why we sell an extensive range of PPE and personal safety equipment.

If you have a question about any of this PPE personal protective equipment, please don’t hesitate to contact our Hereford and Worcester-based Garden Machinery Experts, who will be pleased to assist you, in whatever way they can.