Climb safely, work safely

green tree

Article provided courtesy of ArborMaster

ArborMaster

Working in the tree-care industry has the potential to be very dangerous. One only needs to read the accident reports each month in the TCI magazine to be reminded of this sobering fact. Too many people are getting hurt, often seriously — or killed — working in and around trees. While some will say it’s the homeowners and weekend warriors, sadly, it is often professionals who are involved in these accidents.

One factor is that arborists are often working on trees that are dead, dying, decaying or storm-damaged, where there are numerous potential risks. Many times, though, accidents occur when arborists are working on trees that are structurally sound. The problems here are often the result of regular work practices, or lack thereof. Lack of planning and poor communication on the jobsite as well as workers not wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) are often key ingredients that lead to an accident. In many other situations the problems stem from workers not using recommended safe work practices when they climb, or when they use chain saws when climbing or working from an aerial lift.

A leading challenge arises from the fact that jobsite production is often the main focus. While good production is certainly important for a prosperous company, crews feel pressured to get the job done quickly. This often leads to safety taking a back seat. Short cuts are taken, workers get away with the short cuts time after time, and soon they become the norm. Eventually though, an incident will occur that may lead to serious injury or death.

Safety and productivity can work hand in hand, but it does take a commitment. Owners must commit to establishing a culture of safety so that workers do not feel they have to take short cuts to get the job done on time. Workers must also commit to themselves that they want to use safe work practices on the job, reducing their exposure to risk.

One good place to start is by adhering to the ANSI Z-133 safety standards . The Z-133 is a consensus standard created by representatives from a cross section of the arboriculture community.

As there is no federal OSHA standard that pertains to all workers involved in arboriculture practices, the Z-133 is the best guide that we have. Workers involved in line clearance tree work must abide by OSHA regulation 1910.269, but for the rest of the industry, there is no definitive OSHA regulation. The purpose of the Z-133 standard “is to provide safety criteria for arborists and other workers engaged in arboriculture operations. It is intended as a guide to federal, state and local authorities in drafting their regulations and may be adopted in whole or in part.”

The Z-133 contains sections on general safety — such as PPE, communication and emergency procedures — as well as electrical hazards and safe use of vehicles, mobile equipment and power tools. There are also sections on work procedures, including pruning, rigging, tree removals and pesticide applications.

The Z-133 standard is generally revised every five years. If they haven’t yet, this is a great opportunity for employers and workers to get a copy of the Z-133 (ISA, TCIA and many arborist suppliers are good sources) and begin using it to create a culture of safety within their companies. One of the most important goals for every company should be that everyone goes home safely at the end of the work day.

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