The machinery used in yard areas have caused serious occupational accidents

Several serious occupational accidents have occurred in property maintenance work with different machines. During the winter, occupational accidents have been related to snow removal and anti-skid treatment. In summer, on the other hand, they have been related to the maintenance of green areas and parks. Accidents have been associated with the use of manually controlled or top-mounted machinery and their accessories.

The occupational safety and health authority, who supervises compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, points out that the employer must plan and instruct the safe performance of the work and adequately supervise the work and working methods. Observed deficiencies and incorrect working methods must be addressed immediately.

The employer is responsible for ensuring that their employees have access to the necessary personal protective equipment and other necessary protective clothing or equipment. They are also responsible for ensuring that employees use these.

Only machinery and tools that comply with the relevant requirements and are suitable for the job at hand may be used at work.

Pay particular attention to young workers

Employers must pay particular attention to young workers for whom certain work tasks are considered dangerous. It is particularly important to provide instructions on how to act in disruptions and exceptional situations to young employees. For the duration of learning each work stage or work method, the young employee must be placed to work under the guidance and supervision of an experienced and skilled person.

A notification must be submitted to the occupational safety and health authority about the dangerous work carried out by the young person. The Young Workers’ Act applies to work carried out by a person under the age of 18 in an employment or public-service employment relationship.

Prevent accidents

Preventive measures are key in avoiding accidents. The dangers related to the use of machinery must be identified and their health impacts must be assessed. The assessment must be carried out systematically and comprehensively, taking into account all foreseeable exceptional, disruptive and special situations. Work may only be carried out by an employee who is competent enough to use the work equipment in question and who has received orientation.

Serious, even fatal, accidents have happened in the following property maintenance tasks:

• Mowing of grass with a top-mounted mower: the mower has tipped over on to the worker
• Mowing of grass with a pushed lawnmower: injuries caused by moving blades when cleaning the machine and when operating on a slope or other difficult terrain.
• Spreading gravel on walkways with a gravel depositing device attached to a vehicle: an employee became entangled in the rotating parts of the device
• Work with a hedge trimmer: an employee’s fingers have been caught between moving blades
• Work with a chainsaw: injuries caused by the kickback and unexpected movements of the sawed object and the tensions released
• Work with a brush saw: the machine has flung stones towards a worker, injuring them

The following must be remembered in the work:

• Use of personal protective equipment
• Compliance with the instructions provided by the manufacturers of work equipment
• Work equipment covers and protective devices must not be removed or bypassed to facilitate work
• Employees must be sufficiently familiarised and instructed in the investigation of different disruptions
• If necessary, written instructions must be drawn up, from which the employee can also review the guidelines later and check them.
• The instructions provided must be based on the analysis and assessment of the hazards related to the work.

Enquiries:
Inspector Tomi Lappalainen, [email protected]
Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland