Garden safety
Gardening can be a lot of fun, but remember safety should always come
first.
When you had out into the garden make sure you're wearing sturdy, thick
boots. These should help protect your feet from any unforeseen incident.
Protective safety goggles might be needed too if you happen to be mowing
or whipper-snippering around your vegetable garden. Protective gardening
gloves are also very handy good for safety.
Don't forget about avoiding the sun's ultraviolet light. It can cause
skin cancers, so slip on a long sleeve shirt, slap on some SPF 15+ sun
screen and slap on a wide brimmed hat.
Of course don't go out into the garden during extreme temperatures and
climate conditions. If you suffer from hay-fever or similar conditions
you mightn't want to garden when there is a high pollen count in your
area.
When opening any bagged fertilisers, compost or potting mix, make sure
you're wearing a protective safety mask which surrounds your mouth and
nose. People have died of legionnaires disease when small nasties get
released from the bag when opened. This is very rare, but of course you
should take action to preventatively protect yourself.
If you have breathing difficulties, you might like to wear a protective
mask if you're spreading around fine powdery fertilisers like lime, dolomite
or blood and bone (blood meal and bone meal).
Gardening is great exercise, but if at any stage you feel overly exerted,
or feel tingling in your arm, stop gardening and rest. Some people have
suffered heart attacks whilst gardening, so consult your doctor before
starting any exercise regime or intense gardening activities.
Before digging check with your local authorities about the location of
any possible underground utilities on your land (eg electricity, water,
gas, sewage etc). The last thing you want to do is hit one of these.
It goes without saying, but make sure there's no-one standing behind
you before you start swinging a pick or mattock.
Once you've harvested your fruits and vegetables, whilst you've grown
them organically and chemical free, it's still a good idea to thoroughly
wash them before cooking and eating. This helps get off any dirt or organic
fertiliser that might still be there.
Take these simple steps and you can reduce your risk of injury or sickness
as a result of gardening.
Last updated
23 October, 2008
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