Arboriculture workers can use chainsaws 50 feet or more up a tree. It’s not surprising, then, that we see so many accidents.
But as with any occupation, take the proper precautions and most accidents can be avoided. That’s the message we’ve been promoting over the last five years at our arboriculture safety and health awareness days (SHADs).
These events aren’t aimed at arborists themselves, though. They’ve been targeted in the past, but this time round, we’re looking to reach clients who take on arboricultural contractors – local authorities, national bodies such as the National Trust and English Heritage, government departments and agencies (eg the Forestry Commission), private estates, universities, hospitals – anyone who has trees on their land.
Between a half and two-thirds of accidents happen to untrained arborists.
If we can raise clients’ understanding of the risks and how to recognise and select competent people to do the work, that’ll help raise standards and drive the poor performers to up their game or go out of business.
Here in HSE, we don’t have a huge amount of practical knowledge of tree work, so we run events like this in conjunction with our industry partners. We cover the regulations and what we’re looking for during inspections, but most of the technical input comes from elsewhere.
Liam McKeown runs Treevolution, which provides training in forestry and arboriculture. He’s widely respected for his work to improve safety and increase people’s skills and competence, so what he has to say on the importance of proper training carries a lot of weight with our audiences. And the collection of dodgy equipment he’s found in use over the years provides a stark reminder of just how cavalier an attitude some workers take to their safety and that of others.
We always have a speaker from the Arboricultural Association, too. We’ve worked closely over the years with AA, which has produced a range of safety guidance. The Association is a world leader in its field and sets a benchmark for the industry with its ‘approved contractor’ accreditation scheme, so having one of its staff speak at our events on the need for proper risk assessments, clients’ duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act, how to determine a contractor’s competence and so on is invaluable.
Finally, we also invite a local arborist along to give the contractor’s point of view on what it takes to comply with the regulations and manage health and safety properly. And we also provide a checklist to help clients select competent contractors.
All too often, clients take on a contractor and think that’s where their responsibility ends. But this is far from the truth. These events aim to make attendees look more closely at the people they take on in terms of skills and competence, raise awareness of good practice, and manage their contractors accordingly. You don’t have to look far to find examples of badly maintained machinery, damaged or inappropriate personal protective equipment, lack of planning, lack of training, failure to protect the public and so on. If we’re to change the industry, we need informed clients who take on competent contractors. Only then will we raise standards and reduce accidents.
It’s not surprising that tree surgeons featured on BBC’s Rogue Traders last month. There are plenty of good arborists out there, but plenty more who aren’t. I hope these events will do much to raise standards within the industry generally.
Operations Supervisor, Westonbirt Arboretum
We do a lot of our own tree work, but we also bring in contractors from time to time. Of course, we want value for money, but we also want a professional job done, with everyone going home in one piece. So it’s important that the people we take on are competent to do the work – that’s where AA ‘approved contractor’ accreditation comes in useful.
Events like this provide reassurance we’re getting it right, focusing the mind on the importance of managing everyone’s health and safety effectively. We had a good mix of speakers providing a range of viewpoints – really useful in helping you understand the issues the various parties face. After all, working together safely should be everyone’s top priority.
Employers have a legal duty to display our law poster in a prominent position in their workplace, or provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent leaflet outlining Britain’s health and safety laws. The new poster and leaflet update the current versions, which were first published in April 1999, with the leaflet now in the form of a pocket card that’s better suited to the workplace.
The new poster and pocket card set out in simple terms, using numbered lists of basic points, what employers and workers must do to meet their health and safety responsibilities, as well as showing what to do if there’s a problem. They’re more visually appealing, simpler and more accessible for workers. They also reduce the administrative cost for employers, who no longer have to provide further information and keep this up to date. Another issue is fraud. When we last changed our law poster ten years ago, some unscrupulous companies started selling their own versions, told employers they needed to replace their posters straight away, or that copies should be displayed at each entrance to their premises.
To help avoid this happening again, we’re doing all we can to publicise the fact that employers have five years to replace their old posters (ie by 5 April 2014), and we’ve included a uniquely numbered hologram to prove that their poster is the real thing.
However, employers who choose to retain the old poster do need to keep the addresses of the enforcing authority and the Employment Medical Advisory Service up to date.
It can be ordered from HSE Books (tel: 01787 881165), through booksellers and other intermediaries. We’ll be sending a copy of the new poster to all our field offices (those in Wales will also receive a Welsh language version).
Packs of leaflets (including easy-read and large print versions) are also available via HSE Books or on the website, where you’ll also find a talking version. Staff should not try to place any orders themselves through HSE Books or distribute copies of the leaflets to the public.
