A Thought for Today.

[Taupotreeman]

That's exactly what happened at the large company I worked for. The bosses said if you're not happy or confident doing the job then call someone else in that is, someone with more experience. As soon as people started complaining that either the safety gear wasn't up to spec or they were being sent out on jobs that were way beyond the individuals experience the boss came down like a ton of bricks. Some employees had a few words in their ears to the tune of; do the job or you'll be looking for another. The staff turnover was high and the company didn't mind too much as they new there were plenty of other eejits out there that they could train up to do as they were told and not ask questions. We lost a lot of good guys through this. A prime example was a crew that was sent out to do utility clearance. The EPV tests were out of date, the crew had NO experience in line clearance, no communications etc. I sent them back to base, rang the boss and told him to send out a line clearance crew. Next day the first crew turned up on a different part of the netwrok under a different manager. They'd been told; go out and do the job or and don't say a word or you're down the road.

[Twiggy]

I have just heard a well known and well liked tree surgeon in my area of Dorset has had an awful accident with a MEWP and by the look of the pictures he is lucky to be alive. Go to Dorset Echo - News, Sport, Homes, Jobs, Cars and Local Information in Weymouth, Portland for more info.

 

This guy has a squeaky clean company, so it shows accidents can happen at any time, to any one.

 

Good post - I hope everyone pays attention!

[Dilz]

Is that more experienced climber tend to do the more dodgy trees? Is it that we have gotten away with it for so long that we become complacent? Or are we just playing against the odds, this is a high risk industry, and the longer you are on the tools the longer you are exposing yourself to the risk.

 

If you work for a company and they arent adhearing to HSE, srite a letter to them documenting your concerns, if things arent set straight then report them - its an awesome job but it aint worth getting yourself killed or crippled to line the pockets of some one else. I met a climber who took a fall - was in hospital for a long time, he boss gave him snap gates and battered old kit - hence he fell. Seen a climber fall because he was really tired and didnt notivce he hadnt clipped in right - had the head of safety (!!) in one company cut his left fore arm - rushing to get a job finished on friday - that was a real wake up for us all when we saw him in hospital, - he aint ever gonna be the same top quality climber he was before. I have a few luck escapes as i'm sure alot of people have had (spiked up a matuure oak - felled out a big top 25 - 20 ft it was frozen, the bloody thing craked and tore past my flip line - i'm still not sure what happened but i had a few bruised ribs) - In sweden they dont have the same regualtions for private tree work - i have seen a company spend a saturday getting people to spike to death living trees take off a couple of branches and then the next monday they are put out in pairs dismantaling trees, i'm suprised none died but quite a few have got a few bruises and and scars to show becuase of it.

 

Also i think its really important to note that at the end of the day it is your responsability not your bosses if you do something dodgy and you or some one gets hurt - you cant get any comp if you slice ur leg off with an 880 with no chain brake becuase you should know from your NPTC's that you shouldn't be using it, no matter what they say, and if some one else gets hurt you'll be in the firing line as well - stand your ground, becuase as soon as you let your boss get away with it once, he'll expect you to do it time and time again.

[Pat Ferrett]

The worst thing that can happen in our trade is an accident the second worse thing is when one of the lads rings 999 and doesnt know the address or location if your in a wood. :thumbdown:

 

 

Make sure everybody knows where your working it doesnt cost a penny but may give you that extra couple of minutes that make all the difference,

 

Stay safe one and all! and look after your kids, if you live long enough they ll choose your nursing home :laugh1:

[MarshallArb]

if anyone out there is reading these posts and thinking where i work aint safe then change jobs.

 

i did and it was the best decision i ever made.

 

not all employers are idiots

 

i moved to a job for less money where you can do everything the safe way and if you dont you get a telling off. thats the way it should be. its worth a lot more than money to be able to enjoy your job and not thinking when the next accident will be.

[felixthelogchopper]

if anyone out there is reading these posts and thinking where i work aint safe then change jobs.

 

i did and it was the best decision i ever made.

 

not all employers are idiots

 

i moved to a job for less money where you can do everything the safe way and if you dont you get a telling off. thats the way it should be. its worth a lot more than money to be able to enjoy your job and not thinking when the next accident will be.

 

:congrats:

[wilson]

Everyone knows time is money but money comes and goes - an injury is there for life and and an accident impacts people outwith a tree surgery operation.

Please use common sense and prepare for the unexpected.

Experienced staff should be more aware of dangers and advise inexperienced tree surgeons accordingly!!

Happy New Year to all of you and best of luck and keep safe

[TomA&L]

if anyone out there is reading these posts and thinking where i work aint safe then change jobs.

 

i did and it was the best decision i ever made.

 

not all employers are idiots

 

i moved to a job for less money where you can do everything the safe way and if you dont you get a telling off. thats the way it should be. its worth a lot more than money to be able to enjoy your job and not thinking when the next accident will be.

 

Fully agree mate, surely we do it more for the love of the trees than anything aswell.

[Grandad]

My first boss told me that the climber is in charge of the job and what he says, goes. I have worked on that principle ever since. We all know that a job assessed from the ground can change utterly when you climb up and see it close up and from a different angle. What looked like a simple job from the ground takes on an entirely different character when you get up there. A medium sized branch becomes a half ton monster close up. So the climber gets to say how a job will get done, not the gaffer on the deck. If he doesn't like it, he can do the job himself. There's enough opportunity for error without getting killed because of some impatient or incompetent boss's say so.

[StephF]

Just been on a Health & Safety day at kielder, was shocked that our industry has such an appalling saftey record, construction/Agriculture all improved leaving forestry way behind.

If anyone gets the chance to go on the 'Free days' , its worth it, reminds you of all the stuff you forget, and informs you of best way to 'assess' new workers, eg: training needs etc, so they can work safely on site.

I couldnt help laughing (forgive me if anyone has done this), but a common cause of accident working on a harvesting machine was to fall out of the door because the correct procedure to exit machine was not followed!