A
GUIDE
FOR
SAFE
GARDENING
7
Working out in
the garden can be
very relaxing and
great exercise.
However care
must be taken to
avoid injury. Here
are some simple
tips :
Be prepared
Warm up before start-
ing any activity by gently
stretching your muscles.
Analyse each task and
ask yourself ...
how can I make this
easier ?
Have your greenhouse
work benches built to the
correct height to avoid
bending.
Use a cushioned pad or
kneeler to avoid pain and
swelling in the knee joints.
Tools
Choose tools that are the
correct size for
you.
Use tools with long han-
dles, this will
provide you with greater
leverage and require less
effort.
Ensure that blades are
sharp to avoid extra
strain.
Put secateurs in a holster
attached to your belt.
This saves having to con-
stantly bend down to pick
them up.
Don’t use a heavy, full wa-
tering can– fill it halfway
and do more trips
Little and often
Vary jobs every 30-60
minutes or so to give the
different muscle groups
a rest. For example if you
have been kneeling for
a while planting or weed-
ing ... change to a
different posture and
different task such as 30
minutes of mowing the
lawn.
Take regular breaks and
drink plenty of liquid.
Digging
Digging is one of the chief
causes of back ache.
Use your body weight
and thigh muscles to
avoid straining the low
back.
Dig large areas in stages.
Choose a spade with a
narrow blade to avoid the
temptation of digging
large spadefuls .
Pace yourself, and de-
velop a rhythm.
Rest frequently, and stop
if your back aches.
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8
Lifting and handling
If a heavy object needs
to be moved consider if
you need assistance or
whether you could use
equipment such as a
wheel barrow to help.
Plan the move, get an in-
dication of the weight and
shape of the object and
make sure that there are
no hazards to trip or
slip on. Don’t attempt to
lift an object that is too
heavy.
If you must lift something,
KEEP YOUR BACK
STRAIGHT AT ALL TIMES
and let your thigh
muscles do the work.
See our
Tips for lifting
and handling
on page 5.
When using a wheelbar-
row, place the weight to
the front, over the wheel,
and then lift the handles
using the technique
described above. Always
push a wheelbarrow,
don’t pull it. Resist the
temptation to overload it
– do two trips with a light-
er load than one trip with
a heavy load.