Not only is gardening fun, it’s good for you. But it can also be hard work. When you’re out there in the thick of it, it’s can be hard to stop and consider your safety.
Any time you’re doing physical work there’s potential for injury, and unfortunately the garden is a common place for injuries at home. However, there are a few simple, practical tips that will help keep you safe while you’re embracing the hobby you love, and ensure you can keep doing it well into the future.
As always, consult with your GP or health practitioner before taking any of this advice on board and consider the applicability to your own circumstances.
Fitness levels and movement
One of the biggest things to understand is that gardening can be a physically demanding activity, and this means you need to build up your fitness and conditioning levels before you get stuck into it. Gardening will often put you in positions your body isn’t used to, and may require a level of physical exertion your body isn’t ready for.
The desire to ‘get the job done’ means gardeners can try to plough through it when they should listen to their body and take a break. In the same way, keen gardeners can overwork themselves by getting caught up in the excitement.
Before you start your tasks in the garden, consider what needs doing and compare it to a realistic assessment of your fitness levels. A good idea is making a structured plan that will allow for variances in activities and breaks.
It’s also important to think about the areas your body will use when working on something, and divide jobs based on that. Consider rotating between using different areas of the body (i.e. knees and shoulders) and working at different height levels. The important thing is you’re not doing one thing and getting stuck in one posture for too long.
A good general rule is that you can go 45 minutes to an hour doing one activity before you should change postures. Machinery should not be operated for more than 20 minutes at a time without a break.
Remember to rest. Repetitive tasks can lead to strain and injury, so it is important to take a break during gardening works. Step back, put down the tool, relax your posture and stretch as required.
Stretching
One of the main ways people can injure themselves in the garden is injuries caused by overreaching or hyperextension. You might be pruning a large tree, and in doing so reach too far and shift the weight and pressure away from your body to where it can be an injury hazard.
The solution is to use the right tool for the job. Tools like extension pruners, long saws, the right sized shovel can all mean a lot less effort and reaching, minimising your chance of injury.
Load bearing
Often in gardening you’ll need to move things like pots or mulch around. Moving any load can be a hazard, so it’s important to consider your technique and the size of the load itself.
Where possible, avoid lifting heavy loads entirely. When things do need to be picked up, some simple technique can save your back. An easy way is to think ‘nose to toes’; your nose should be in alignment with your toes when bearing a load. If you need to move around, move your feet. If you don’t, a twist through your whole body can be how injuries can occur.
Also remember to keep the weight as close to your body as possible when lifting. Your back should be completely straight.
Pots can be a hidden weight danger. As a plant grows it adds weight to the pot, making it heavier than it was the last time you handled it. Water can also make the weight of a pot hard to judge; recently watered pots can be twice as heavy with no external signs of the change in weight. It’s a safer bet to use a trolley to lift pots off the ground and wheel them around the garden.
Legionnaires’ disease in potting mix
Soil and bagged potting mix are full of microbes and bacteria. This means it’s a good idea to wear face masks and gloves when handling bagged potting mix, composts or mulches, to minimise the risk of Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia, which can occur when a person breathes in water droplets or dust contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
This is especially important for those at increased risk: older people, smokers, or people with a weakened immune system.
Protection from the sun and heat
The peak gardening season is once the weather starts warming. This also means the danger from the sun is higher. The slip slop slap mantra applies well to gardening; if you’re planning a day working on the garden sunscreen, sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat are all essential. Seek shade in the hottest parts of the day, and remember to hydrate regularly. Sunstroke can sneak up quickly, so know the symptoms, take regular breaks and monitor your own wellbeing throughout the day.
Keep calm and keep gardening
Being outside and gardening is great for your body and mental health. But if you’re injured you can’t garden! Keeping your safety in mind means you can keep things growing for many years to come.
How do you keep yourself safe in the garden? Why not share your experience in the comments section below?
Also read: How to save money in the garden
