Landscape & Amenity www.professionalgroundscare.com
September 2018 Showcasing the world leading industry
Latest health and safety guidelines for turf professionals ‘could save lives’ The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has launched a free-to-use web-based platform created by the Xact Group that aims to ensure golf club employers un¬derstand their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety with regard to golf course maintenance. In 2017, the GTC’s Board of Directors commissioned a review of the highly-acclaimed Health and Safety Guidance Notes and the committee is pleased to announce the release of the updated guidelines. The GTC first worked together with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 1994 to produce the first edition of the Health and Safety in Golf Course
Management and Maintenance booklet. By 2000, the health and safety consultants to the GTC, Jon Allbutt and John Davies, were commissioned to review the materials, in line with the many changes in legislation that were happening at that time. While much of the guidance and best practice was still relevant, the GTC felt it appropriate to review and update and refresh the look and accessibility of the guidance notes. The GTC consulted with Chris Hammond, health and safety director at The Xact Group, to build on what has been produced before and help to design and implement a web-based platform. The Xact Group work with BIGGA, England Golf,
Scottish Golf and Wales Golf in the build and support of their health and safety online systems and provision of additional onsite health and safety and human resources services to member clubs. GTC Chairman Alistair Booth said: “The aim of the newlypublished guidance notes has been to give anyone at a golf club, or associated with a golf club, an overview of their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety and best practice. They have been moved to a web-based platform, making them easier for everyone to access. BIGGA
Dennis & SISIS event a hit with cricket groundsmen Over 130 cricket groundsmen made their way to Cheltenham College for the second ever Dennis and SISIS’ Cricket Pitch Renovation Day, which featured a mix of thought provoking indoor presentations and outdoor practical demonstrations. The event was supported by Boughton
Loam, CricketWorld.com, Stuart Canvas, Limagrain UK, Lister Wilder, Poweroll and Headland Amenity. Following a series of informative presentations from some of the industry’s leading figures, three workshops focused on a variety of techniques that would be beneficial for
cricket groundsmen and saw an impressive fleet of machinery carrying out tasks such as aeration, seeding, brushing, top dressing and scarifying. Christian Brain, head of grounds at Cheltenham College and host for the day, felt that the day was a huge success for all involved. “It’s been fantastic to see so many passionate groundsmen here mixing with one another and sharing ideas,” he said. “We’ve had some great feedback from the delegates and overall it’s been a hugely successful day.” Dennis
The web-based platform is packed full of information and guidance on all aspects of golf course management and maintenance, covering areas such as: roles and responsibilities; legislation; greenkeeping safety; events; clubhouse management; establishing a health and safety management system. The new website can be accessed by visiting the GTC’s website and clicking on the Health & Safety link. Visitors who require further guidance, such as risk assessments and
template documentation, can consult their relevant full guidance Health & Safety website, such as BIGGA, England Golf, Scottish Golf or Wales Golf.
STRI research manager, Mark Ferguson, explains these results and stresses the importance of preventative programmes in light of the recent loss of curative active ingredient iprodione. “When measuring disease presence, the STRI team looked specifically at the level of
Latest innovations and case studies
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The GTC Work Equipment – Record of Training and Competencies wallchart has been a feature in greenkeeping facilities for a number of years. The wallchart is used to aid with the recording of staff training and competence and will continue to be a useful tool. The wallchart can be purchased from the GTC shop online.
Preventative fungicide treatments excel in STRI research trials Recent STRI research trials prove that preventative disease control programmes outperform curative options when analysed for turf quality, colour and presence of Microdochium Patch.
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Weed & Pest Control Finding the correct solutions
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Microdochium Patch cover on the plots. As expected, the preventative treatments performed significantly better than the curative ones. “The trials ran over the course of eight months, comparing nine preventative and three curative programmes, as well as one untreated plot. “The first three programmes used purely preventative fungicides from Bayer. “ STRI
Sweepers, Blowers, Collectors & Vacs The machinery creating high standards
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