Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Press releases
GNN/YH/613/07 20 December 2007
That twinkling tinselled tree with a starring role at the centre of your Christmas celebrations may well have started life on the slopes of North Yorkshire’s Dalby Forest where the Forestry Commission have been busy making light work of harvesting the thousands of trees it sells at this time of year - in safety thanks to an active approach to risk management developed in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Tree work is dangerous work. The odds of someone in forestry and arboriculture sustaining a fatal or major injury in any one year are estimated to be worse that 1 in 20. Chainsaws have the potential to cause horrific injuries, and processing timber products involves machines with high-speed cutters that saw, chop and grind. Similarly working in trees requires specialist training and a disciplined approach, and falling timber is a major cause of serious and fatal injuries.
HSE Inspector Julian Franklin says:
"Much forested land in Great Britain is, like Dalby Forest, located in upland areas. Often the terrain is boggy and strewn with rocks. Machines need to be well maintained to remain safe and viable and those responsible for planning work on forestry sites need to assess slopes, select equipment which can safely work the site and designate safe routes of access.
"The forestry industry needs a system of training and certification that is simple, cost effective and in which everyone can have confidence. Everyone working in forestry already needs to be competent, and chainsaw operators need to have undergone a recognised training course and hold a certificate of competence.
"Despite this, accidents still happen, and HSE has recently undertaken a detailed consultation with all sectors of the industry and the results are currently under review.
"So, when you have decorated that real Christmas tree, spare a thought for the training and hard work that brings it to you."
To obtain a pic of a Forestry Commission worker harvesting Christmas trees in Dalby Forest contact Anne Haynes on Tel: 0113 341 3172
Call HSE's InfoLine, Tel: 08701 545500,
or write to: HSE InfoLine, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.
Contact Anne Haynes, Tel: 0113 341 3172
or email: anne.haynes@gnn.gsi.gov.uk
HSE information and press releases can be accessed on the Internet:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/
Issued on behalf of HSE by GNN Yorkshire and Humber