​Reducing common injuries for parks and garden workers

Shoulder injuries are a common and often disruptive issue for parks and gardens teams - impacting comfort, capacity, and the ability to perform day-to-day tasks both at work and at home. In response, we have created the Shoulder Shield Program to help reduce shoulder injury risk in a practical and proactive way. It is designed specifically for workers in parks and gardens roles who may be at higher risk, giving them a detailed blueprint to help mitigate the potential risk of shoulder injuries in their day-to-day role.

At its core, Shoulder Shield focuses on building a simple, sustainable routine that workers can maintain over time. The aim is to encourage workers to complete a short set of preventative exercises three times per week, helping to reduce the likelihood of a shoulder injury. The program is intentionally designed to be achievable for busy teams and easy to embed into existing practices—such as a morning routine or start-of-shift preparation—without disrupting normal daily flow.

To support consistent participation and a balanced approach to shoulder health, the program has been structured into three individual modules, each containing three exercises.

1. Module one: stretching and flexibility to help reduce stiffness and support tissue readiness.

2. Module two: targets shoulder mobility and range of motion, encouraging better movement quality and maintaining functional movement.

3. Module three: is designed to strengthen the shoulders and surrounding structures, helping build resilience to the physical demands of parks and gardens work.

The program can be completed with no equipment, removing a common barrier to commitment and making it suitable for a wide range of workplaces and settings. The intended approach is to complete each module once per week, creating a simple weekly rhythm that supports flexibility, mobility, and strength in a time-efficient manner.