How to Build an Effective Golf Course Safety Program

Create clear safety rules and regulations that all employees are expected to adhere to and record these procedures in a safety manual. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), employers have a legal obligation to create a safe workplace free from serious hazards. Review and incorporate OSHA standards into your safety manual to ensure compliance and minimize incidents.

Your safety guidelines should also include goals and the specific steps your golf course or country club will take to achieve these objectives. For example, you might establish a goal to reduce the number of lost time injuries by 30% within the next 6 months. This will be attained by leading comprehensive safety training and conducting weekly safety meetings to ensure everyone is following procedures.

Keep in mind that golf course safety rules aren’t exclusive to employees; your business should also inform guests of all applicable safety measures, such as:

• Designated cart paths where players can safely drive their golf carts
• Cart speed limit(s)
• Suspending playing during lightning alerts
• Waiting to tee and hit the ball until the pathway is clear of other golfers
• Avoiding walking through areas that are actively in play
• Regulating the intake of alcoholic beverages during gameplay

Using clear signage and having guests sign forms acknowledging these rules before gameplay can help to ensure compliance.

To achieve your safety goals and mitigate risks at your golf course and country club, your business has to first be able to identify these hazards. Common safety risks at golf courses and country clubs include:

• Slips, trips and falls: Wet or uneven surfaces, loose gravel and improperly maintained walkways can lead to falls.
• Golf cart accidents: High speeds, improper driver conduct and unsafe pathways can contribute to golf cart-related injuries.
• Errant golf balls: Wayward golf balls can cause severe injuries to players, spectators and employees.
• Chemical exposure: Pesticides and fertilizers used for course maintenance can pose health risks to guests or employees who come in direct contact with it.
• Weather-related hazards: Lightning storms, extreme heat and heavy rain can create dangerous conditions for golfers and employees.
• Equipment and machinery risks: Maintenance tools like mowers or trimmers can pose hazards if improperly handled.
• Alcohol service risks: Serving alcohol can increase the likelihood of impaired behavior and accidents.
• Improper food handling: Improper conduct like cross-contamination, improper cooling or heating and poor employee personal hygiene can result in foodborne illnesses.
• Fire hazards: Employees working in kitchens can be exposed to burns from hot surfaces, hot liquids, steam, flames and chemicals.
• Theft: Customer or employee theft on your property can impact profitability.

To address these issues and other risks before they escalate into incidents, your business needs to complete routine safety checks. When conducting safety inspections, make sure to:

• Develop checklists for specific areas, such as ensuring pathways are clear on the greens, floors are dry in the kitchen and maintenance tools are properly stored throughout your property.
• Create a safety committee responsible for regularly checking that all safety guidelines are adhered to.
• Set a schedule for when safety inspections will take place and commit to it.
• Maintain detailed records of all inspections, including hazards identified and the respective corrective actions that need to be taken.

You’ll also need to take into account seasonal considerations and the hazards these may introduce, such as the impact of severe storms during hurricane season, which can lead to flooding and scattered debris. Safety inspections and corrective actions immediately after adverse weather events can help to avoid any disruptions in your operations.

While the use of chemicals is essential to the maintenance of your golf course’s greenery, these substances can cause serious harm to your employees and guests. To protect people against chemical burns and other injuries, use these best practices:

• Store pesticides, fertilizers and cleaning agents securely in a well-ventilated and dry area.
• Train staff on safe handling practices, including using personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves and goggles, washing hands after coming into contact with chemicals, safely disposing of chemicals according to regulations and taking corrective spill response measures if and when a spill occurs.
• Put signs up in areas where chemicals have been applied on your golf course so guests and employees avoid contact during the recommended waiting periods.

Consider switching to less toxic and more environmentally friendly products to avoid the contamination of soil and water and protect wildlife in the area. This will help to keep not only guests and employees safe from toxic substances, but also the environment as a whole, allowing your business to establish an environmentally-conscious reputation in the community.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), more than 25% of work-related injuries involve the head, eyes, hands and feet. By enforcing the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in your workers’ routines when hazards are present, you can significantly minimize incidents on the job, increase productivity and ensure compliance to all regulations.

Examples of PPE by body area include:

• Eyes and face: Safety spectacles, goggles, masks, face shields, welding shields
• Head: Helmets and hard hats
• Hands, legs and feet: Gloves, steel-toed boots, metatarsal guards, toe guards, foot and shin guards

Before employees can use PPE, they need to be trained in how to correctly wear and use this equipment. Provide PPE training for your staff so they can protect themselves while on the job and offer retraining as necessary if changes occur, such as the type of work that they need to complete or new PPE they need to wear.

If your golf course or country club has a restaurant, bar or other food service available, it is critical that you train kitchen and serving staff on food safety protocols to prevent contamination and illness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends the following safe food handling guidelines:

• Wash hands frequently with warm water and soap.
• Cook meat, poultry, seafood and eggs to the right temperature and confirm using a thermometer.
• Regularly clean cutting boards, dishes, countertops and utensils with hot, soapy water.
• Separate raw meats from other foods.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishables within 2 hours of purchasing or cooking.

Conducting regular safety briefings can help ensure everyone in the kitchen is compliant and prioritizes the safety of guests at your business.  

Intoxicated guests can present a significant safety risk to others and themselves. Ensure bartenders and servers are trained in responsible alcohol service to prevent overconsumption and related incidents. Important safety guidelines to follow include:

• Identifying signs of intoxication, including slurred speech and difficulty walking or maintaining balance. If a patron is exhibiting these signs, they should be refused additional alcohol service, escorted away from the course if playing and offered alternative transportation home as needed.
• Denying guests from bringing in outside alcohol.
• Ensuring that guests are of legal drinking age and requiring that they show valid ID.
• Offering nonalcoholic alternatives to guests.
• Documenting incidents involving the overconsumption of alcohol to demonstrate what steps were taken to correct the situation and your business’s adherence to safety guidelines.

Alcohol can contribute to increased levels of dehydration, which is especially dangerous when combined with conditions like extreme heat on the golf course. Encourage guests to stay hydrated by offering plenty of water both indoors and outdoors.

Even with strict loss control and risk management methods in place, an incident can still occur. From adverse weather to golf cart accidents, it is critical that your business is always prepared for emergency situations. Establish clear emergency response procedures, such as:

• Providing first aid while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
• Designating evacuation routes for emergencies like fires or gas leaks.
• Creating shelter-in-place guidelines for adverse weather like tornados.
• Calling animal control if a stray animal is on the golf course and closing off the area.

In the event of an emergency, clear communication is essential. Employees should calmly and urgently share directions with guests on the property to maintain their safety, without invoking a sense of panic. Simulate emergency response with your entire staff to ensure everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities if a severe incident were to occur.