Safety in Community Gardens

Concerns over safety in community gardens is serious business. A snapshot of many backyard gardens would offer a safety professional plenty to write about: Tall stacks of plant pots, upturned troughs, water hoses, polythene coverings, stakes and canes supporting trees and shrubs and that’s before assessing toxicity of plant life, soil and preserved timber.

Safety of Horticultural Activities in Community Gardens

Ensuring safety is important work in community garden projects, particularly those with staff working on horticultural activities with clients. In the edited book Horticultural Therapy Methods Making Connections in Health Care, Human Service and Community Programs (CRC Press, 2006), Pamela A. Catlin writing about risk management in activity planning: developing horticultural therapy sessions, discusses

• using only nontoxic plants
• being aware of toxicity of any fertilisers and pesticides used
• supervising use of sharp objects as required
• assessing impact of sun on clients such as temperature-sensitive health conditions, risk of sunburn and heat stroke, medication-related photosensitivity
• respiratory impact of pollen count, scent and smells
• being aware of a client’s allergies and food intolerances before organising tasting sessions
• ensuring adequate lighting of pathways in the gardens
• checking and cleaning pathways to ensure safe mobility of clients

Safety Precautions in Horticultural Therapy Practice

Karen Kennedy, HTR since 1999, writes in Horticultural Therapy Methods Making Connections in Health Care, Human Service and Community Programs (CRC Press, 2006) edited by Rebecca L. Haller and Christine L. Kramer, a note on safety in the framework of horticultural therapy methods: “Safety precautions vary with program settings and needs of the participants so it is important to think through the issues and plan creative solutions”. Karen Kennedy contributes examples from practice as responses to safety issues for “an older adult with memory impairment”:

• susceptible to sunburn
• may ingest non-food items
• shuffles when walks
• disorientation or confusion
• impaired judgement

Safety Issues for Gardeners in Community Gardens

Safe gardening is possible with a health and safety awareness of gardens and gardening. Safety issues for gardeners in community gardens is as serious as in any backyard garden:

• sharp tools such as secateurs, hand fork and hand spade can cut a gardener’s hands.
• recently used water hoses unwrapped from a hose reel can be a tripping hazard, slippery and unsteady to move over.
• using multiple tools when gardening can allow discarded tools to be unsafe to others who are unaware of their location.
• avoid gardening outdoors, in greenhouses and in polytunnels in the full sun to reduce risk of sunburn or heat exhaustion. Wearing a hat, long sleeves, sunglasses, a high factor sunscreen and gardening gloves is essential kit for all gardeners.
• working at a high table staging in greenhouse or gardening a raised bed can result in bruising, blisters and sores that require skincare.

Many gardening books and resources are silent on health and safety issues for gardeners in their backyard gardens. Community gardens will vary in size, their use and their safety issues for individual gardeners. Safety review of proposed horticultural activities and reflection of gardening practices in a community garden is essential for safe and successful gardening.