Following on from our post last week, we look further into OHS in the Floristry industry.

Last week we listed some examples of possible risks and threats when working with flowers.  This time, we’ll give a real life scenario for each of these, outlining the issue itself and the action that needs to be taken to rectify it.

SCENARIOS:

Electricity
Issue: Heaters and extension cords are haphazardly spread over the workroom floor. This is not only a tripping hazard, but with water from buckets and watering cans in the vicinity, it could also cause electrocution or shorts.

Action: Wet areas and electronics must be separated. Extension leads need to be taken off floors, and power points should be in areas where items such as glue guns, heaters etc. can be safely plugged in, away from wet areas, and close to the source. This way cables are not laying on the ground causing possible injury or death.

Lifting, bending, twisting
Issue: Where the tap is to fill the buckets is 10 metres from where the cool room and botanicals storage area is. Lifting, carrying, and bending is required to place buckets into the storage areas – and that it’s a long distance from where the water source is. This can cause unnecessary strain on muscles, cause back complaints as well as possible water spills.

Action: Purchase a wheeled trolley that the buckets can be placed on, filled with water, then put the botanicals on, and wheeled to the storage area.

Ergonomics
Issue: Workbenches are not set for a standing working height. This causes the back, neck and other muscles unnecessary strain.

Action: Benches need to be replaced with standing height benches. There also needs to be training sessions on personal working ergonomics. This may include training on how to hold yourself when making posies and bouquets to reduce strain, (including repetitive strain injuries).

Slips, trips & falls
Issue: Flowers being removed from display vases in the shop space and taken to the workroom. Water being spilt on the floor from the stems, causing a slipping hazard.

Action: Florists need to bring out a container to place the botanicals in from the display vases, to minimize water spilling/dripping onto the floor. Also, everyone needs to recognize this as an issue, and have a mop handy to wipe the floor dry immediately.

Tools
Issue: Incorrect use of tools, resulting in an increased risk of cuts and injuries. To avoid this, staff need to have training on how to correctly use tools.

Action: Staff training is conducted, showing how to correctly use tools, and should cut away from themselves to ensure cuts are avoided. All staff need to stay vigilant with themselves, and others, around this cutting technique.

Skin Conditions
Issue: Red itching skin on hands and arms. The florist gets a rash on their hands and/or arms from having a reaction to botanicals, or other items used.

Action: Florist to seek medical advice to ease rash. Use a process of elimination to determine which botanical material causes the reaction. Depending on the severity, the florist may choose not to handle that variety again or may choose to wear gloves.

This list above is by no means comprehensive, but it gives you an insight into how crucial OHS is in the floristry industry, or even if you are working with flowers as a hobby. There will usually be an OHS representative in every workplace, as well as procedures on what needs to be done in the case of an event occurring, so please check for specific details in your workplace.

Once you know and consider the risks, then you can ensure you always keep yourself and others safe. You can also ensure that all measures are taken to prevent any incidents happening to yourself or others.  Vigilance to safety should always be monitored and reassessed to maintain a safe workplace.

Do you want to learn floristry? The Bloom College Flower School Flower Basics Course is the perfect introduction to floristry for those without prior experience caring for and arranging flowers. It is also well suited to those wanting to refresh the skills they gained from some prior experience.  We have new Courses STARTING SOON. To find out more head to: http://bit.ly/1Nes64L

In this first of our 2 part series on OHS (Occupational Health and Safety), we look at the specific risks involved in the Floristry industry.

Below is a list of examples of possible risks and threats. Once you become aware of these, you can ensure that all measures are taken to prevent any incidents happening to yourself or others.  They are by no means a comprehensive list of all OHS concerns, and vigilance to safety should always be monitored and reassessed to maintain a safe workplace.

·         Electricity

·         Lifting, bending, twisting

·         Ergonomics

·         Slips, trips & falls

·         Tools

·         Skin conditions

As much as water is a life-saver or extender to the core product in floristry, water can also be the contributor to many of the dangers and OHS concerns in a florist’s workplace. An obvious one is water and electricity – which can cause electrocution or shortages.  Water also attributes to lifting injuries by carrying heavy buckets and vases, therefore ergonomics training and some common sense is needed to reduce risk. Another very dangerous (and far too common issue) are slips, trips and falls – which can also be caused with water spillages on floors, or leaves/stems on the workroom floor that become as slippery as a banana peel!

Some florists also discover that they have allergies to particular flowers and plant material. In these cases, a range of skin conditions can present themselves, so its important for those affected to identify what material/s are causing the reaction, so that they can take appropriate actions to make it safe when using the product in the future. One common action is to wear gloves, ensuring that their skin is not in contact with the botanical material.  Some materials also affect people in the form of hay fever – this can be caused from inhaling the pollens, or other reactions that cause hay fever symptoms.

Skin can also be affected from the chemicals used on the flowers either during or post harvest. Often flowers grown outside of Australia pose the greatest risk, as they are grown in areas where the amount of pesticides used are non-regulated. Also, with Australia’s strict quarantine rules, many of the flowers brought in from overseas are fumigated upon arrival to the country, or have to be fumigated prior to leaving the farm in the country of origin.

When working with flowers, each risk and threat should be raised, recorded and rectified. If you are setting up a business, procedures and processes for this should be done prior to opening, and then monitored on a daily basis to maintain a safe working environment.

Using the list above, in the Blog post next week we’ll give a real life scenario for each of these broad topics to help you define, raise, record and rectify OHS concerns in the floristry workplace.

Do you want to learn floristry? Our Flower basics course is the perfect introduction to floristry for those without prior experience caring for and arranging flowers. It is also well suited to those wanting to refresh the skills they gained from some prior experience.  We have new Courses STARTING SOON. To find out more head to: http://bit.ly/1Nes64L