New H&S scheme for chainsaws coming?

[5thelement]

1 hour ago, swinny said:

 

Most main issues are the nptc assessors not failing some of the shite quality of lads coming through.

Have you got evidence of this as it’s certainly not my experience?

[swinny]

24 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

Have you got evidence of this as it’s certainly not my experience?

Sorry I didn't know you wanted a full on survey conducted.... 

 

With my experience of quite a lot of courses there were some very poor candidates that did indeed pass. Laughable. 

 

Are you an assessor by any chance? Or a training provider 🤣

[Khriss]

Actually , if a candidate on assessment is a bit below par - but knows what they should do , a pass is ok as long as proper feedback and recommendations have been given and followed up . Have seen a couple of rediculous fails ( who shouldnt have-on stupid technicality  ) blatant incompetence should get a fail . K

[5thelement]

25 minutes ago, swinny said:

Sorry I didn't know you wanted a full on survey conducted.... 

 

With my experience of quite a lot of courses there were some very poor candidates that did indeed pass. Laughable. 

 

Are you an assessor by any chance? Or a training provider 🤣

I am not a training provider, but I am a freelance Instructor and assessor.

I wasn’t at the courses you attended so can’t comment on how good or bad these candidates where.

I can only indicate how I conduct assessments.

The candidate turns up and gives a good performance that meets the criteria and passes, or doesn’t meet the criteria and fails, no ifs, no buts.

The OP deals with FISA/HSE developing a new way of training and monitoring in Forestry, nothing to do with LANTRA or NPTC. The author, who I don’t know personally, is a well known and respected Forester, not a clipboard warrior. No one is forced to join FISA or sign up to this App, it is voluntary based on its usefulness and need.
It certainly looks useful to prospective employers in Forestry as it monitors detailed experience and skill set, as opposed to just being shown a collection of tickets.

I certainly don’t employ cutters based on tickets collections, but on relevant industry experience.

[drinksloe]

Argrmog made a lot of good and valid points in his post.

 

Aye it's a funny place now the forestry sector record prices at roadside, some finished timber products u can hardly buy as so scarce and prices almost rising daily.

Yet the contractors rate is lower than ever as machines and desiel prices get dearer and dearer.

Not gong to get worse with many of the sawmills/timber buyers having there own timber haulage and harvesting divisions now 

 

Back on topic.

While I agree with wot agrimog says, i do think the intentions are good and honest and for the good of cutters and bosses employing cutters.

Can't be easy for bosses needing a new cutter, chance are all they will get is a phone conversation to assess if they can do the job, seen me working for companies and never meeting a boss for weeks/months/ever, just told to meet a harvester/forwarder driver.

And let's face it with modern machnes and T winces etc there only getting u in for the real shitty step ground or big timber or both, which is just an accident waiting to happen if ur not thinking

 

But I do think it would turn into just another money making sham, ( same happened with Deer Stalking Certificates 1 and 2, great idea in theory but just a cash cow for many)

 

Cutting is a funny job now on commercial sites,, so many H&S rules actually make the job more dangerous and then on some jobs they actually expect u to pretty much ignore their own rules.

1 off my main gripes now is rarely ever getting lifts up jobs on forwarders, even just carrying ur gear up. 

The job been on most of this week was over 1km to top of hill and absolute murder of a walk due to brash matt's wet holes and steep rock faces.

And I'm meant to walk up that fully ladened, on way out on Thurs had 5 litres of water, 30t bottle jack, sledge, wedges, spare bar/chain plus ur 5 litres of fuel and 3 ltd of oil + saw.

It's a full on mission just getting ur rucksack on ur back.

Bloody leg/angle break just waiting to happen esp on ur way out after a hard day on saw.

 

The aspect of qualified cutters surveying a job at the pre commencement meeting before the harvesting starts and advising how to harvest the site, was the best idea in it.

But no contractors going to pay u to walk a site.

But as the older machine operators retire that started on a saw and know wot there talking about with saws.

Massive difference cutting on a site harvested by ex cutters, just well thought out makes ur life easy.

As more and more operators have never ran a saw only going to get worse.

 

I mind throwing toys out of the pram 1 day with a harvester driver insisted I wedged trees over with a natural lean into a rare east gale force wind.

Was torture and bloody dangerous an a complete waste of a rare strong east wind in summertime.

Just madness, I now refuse to cut for that operator just an accident waiting to happen and it's always the cutter that ends up getting hurt if an accident, don't need to be near folk like that.