Page 20 - GreenMaster Spring 2022

uFEATUREuBILL GODKIN, CEsafety
Top Four
Pre
Figure 1. The area outside the Superintendent’s shop is often in need of an annual cleanup to remove the collection of unwanted rubbish that has accumulated.
Since 2006, CEsafety has been
working with golf courses all across Ontario, Alberta and beyond to identify and eliminate safety hazards that may otherwise result in a serious injury to a worker or a customer. Some employers and Superintendents in the golf industry still aren’t sure about what is or is not a safety hazard and how to correct it. Others fear that it may be cost prohibitive to deal with the safety hazards that could be picked up during an audit by us or by a Provincial Inspector.
In this article, I will outline some of the most common and most important safety precautions you can take before opening in the Spring of 2022.
PRECAUTION #1:
HOUSEKEEPING
Too often, we find storage areas in shops, kitchens, bars, pro shops, etc. so overcrowded that it is virtually impossible for workers to safely access the items stored there. In most provincial regulations, employers are required to keep floors clear of obstructions, materials are to be stored in a way so that they won’t tip over, collapse or fall on a worker and workers must be able to safely access any stored item. Figures 2 & 4 illustrate storage areas that are too unsafe for workers to access or were stored dangerously overhead.
This includes areas outside around the Superintendent’s shop where we have catalogued piles of discarded tires, fencing, old equipment, propane tanks that have started to rust and other such hazards – as captured in Figure 1. We have seen too many shops with these issues and each Superintendent we speak to tells us how little storage space they have. By organizing a cleanup day before you open and disposing of unwanted items, you will not only remove a number of potential safety hazards, but you will also be freeing up some badly needed storage space. Perhaps you can sell off some old equipment, cash in scrap metal and alcohol
20 • CGSA • GreenMaster