Health and safety row as council bans gardeners from wearing shorts

Officials at Calderdale Council in Halifax say gardeners wanting to wear shorts on a hot day will need to ask for special permission from a manager.

Council official Andrew Pitts said the authority took health and safety seriously and advised all such staff to wear trousers.

He said: “Some of their tasks involve emptying bins, picking up broken glass and needles, working with sharp shrubbery and removing fly-tipping.”

He said gardeners working at Manor Heath in Halifax, could wear shorts when carrying out work in polytunnels in extreme temperatures.

“But they are advised to wear trousers when working in the park,” he said.

“Employees wishing to wear shorts can put this request to their manager who will consider each case.”

Nick Yates, managing director of Kershaw’s Garden Centre in Brighouse, and a former councillor, said gardeners needed to wear protective clothing at times - such as when spraying chemicals - but a blanket ruling was over-protective.

He said: “There are lots of jobs gardeners can do in shorts and you take precautions where necessary.

“The ban seems a bit ridiculous. There is too much of this rule-making going on. If gardeners are hoeing or planting out, why not allow them to wear shorts?”

Coun Pauline Nash, cabinet spokeswoman for safer communities, said the ruling allowed an individual to request permission to wear shorts.

She said: “My view of health and safety is that it is better to be safe than sorry. It’s about trying to minimise accidents.”