Climbing accident, Northwich, Cheshire

[5thelement]

The first thing HSE will need is a thorough explanation as to why a tracked mewp wasn’t being used to dismantle the tree instead of climbing, costs overriding safety will never be accepted in a courtroom. 

[monkeybusiness]

57 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

The first thing HSE will need is a thorough explanation as to why a tracked mewp wasn’t being used to dismantle the tree instead of climbing, costs overriding safety will never be accepted in a courtroom. 

The first thing HSE will need is a thorough explanation as to why any aerial work was required at all I’d have thought. 

[spuddog0507]

1 hour ago, monkeybusiness said:

The incident this post relates to happened at the end of Jan, the vid of it (filmed from next to a tractor) started circulating at the start of Feb.

It is a miracle the lad is still alive, and the vid raises a lot of questions (why it was climbed being the main one). It’s a horrible watch and I’m not going to link it on here. 
Part of me can’t help but think there was an element of showboating involved - the leaning tree is partially cut and the climber is being filmed by several colleagues, standing on it as it falls, ready to take a big swing towards the tree he is anchored into. Unfortunately he is also anchored to the tree he has cut (which appears to go unnoticed by everyone until it’s too late). 
It was a highway’s job over a major A-road dual carriageway that had been subject to an emergency road closure the night before because of this tree (that had partially fallen and subsequently hung up over the carriageway). There is woodland both sides of the carriageway and in the central reservation. It should have been winched out and dealt with on the floor, there aren’t any targets to protect. 
Thank god the lad is alive, and should mane a decent recovery. 

 

That's the video I was sent on the 6th Feb and I have watched it several times, and as you say just should of severed root plate and winched on to the deck and delta with there,, the tractor would of dragged it down the Rd easily, 

[woody paul]

I take it climber was an employee, maybe not got it to say them two words to boss when asked to climb it. As there is always someone else stupid enough to. 

It's not the case of how draws shortest straw now mewp are available. But like others have said winch it or big digger to force it do what you way. 

[Joe Newton]

1 hour ago, 5thelement said:

The first thing HSE will need is a thorough explanation as to why a tracked mewp wasn’t being used to dismantle the tree instead of climbing, costs overriding safety will never be accepted in a courtroom. 

What makes you think a tracked mewp would be the safest way to deal with a hung up tree? It's still gotta go somewhere when it's released and you don't want the mewp anywhere near that stem when it goes. 

[Joe Newton]

As I see it, there were a multitude of poor decisions made on that job. I'm guessing a keen but inexperienced climber thought he could safely take on a dangerous job like that, wether for the multiple cameras filming or not.

 

Either way somebody still allowed that to happen.

 

As a few have said, by far the safest way of dealing with that scenario is to winch it back from the floor. Services can be dropped, fences can be repaired. That lad will probably carry those injuries with him for life.

 

I had to stop a pretty much identicle scenario from happening a couple of years back. I met another team on site after getting the call and saw a young climber looking to throw into a 90' oak with a similar sized ash hung up in it. I did ask him what would happen when he severed the wedged ash limb and the rest of the tree came down past him. He hadn't really thought that far 🙄

 

Quick phone call to the office and the lane was closed for the night and lads were sent back the next morning with a big winch. Sever at the rootball and rag back into the woodland. 

[5thelement]

25 minutes ago, Joe Newton said:

What makes you think a tracked mewp would be the safest way to deal with a hung up tree? It's still gotta go somewhere when it's released and you don't want the mewp anywhere near that stem when it goes. 

I didn’t say a tracked mewp is the safest way to deal with a hung tree, just safer than making the decision to put a climber in it. 

[Joe Newton]

No, you said the first thing HSE will ask is why a MEWP wasn't used.

 

 They'd be asking why any work at height was chosen as the best method long before they got to the specifics of WaH.

[5thelement]

Just now, Joe Newton said:

No, you said the first thing HSE will ask is why a MEWP wasn't used.

 

 They'd be asking why any work at height was chosen as the best method long before they got to the specifics of WaH.

Well I haven’t seen the video and I wasn’t there, so don’t know what machinery was on site and why the decision was made to climb the tree. But the decision to climb was chosen and using a mewp could have removed the situation where a climber is attached to the tree and gets badly injured. 

[Joe Newton]

You really don't like to be wrong, do you?