HSE Chainsaw Accident Consultation

[Amelanchier]

Shamelessly ripped from http://www.aie.org.uk

A HSE request for information -

 

 

http://webcommunities.hse.gov.uk/inovem/inovem.ti/afagpublic

 

From the HSE Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group Webcommunity - 01/05/08:

 

 

 

STATISTICS SHOW US THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF MAJOR AND FATAL ACCIDENTS IN FORESTRY AND ARBORICULTURE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CHAINSAW OPERATIONS. HSE'S INVESTIGATIONS SHOW THAT MOST OF THESE ACCIDENTS OFTEN INVOLVE SAWERS TAKING SHORTCUTS AND NOT FOLLOWING GOOD PRACTICE GUIDANCE. USUALLY THE REASON IS TO SAVE TIME.

 

ARE YOU A CHAINSAW OPERATOR? DO YOU WORK WITH CHAINSAW OPERATORS?

 

LET US KNOW WHY YOU THINK THESE ACCIDENTS KEEP HAPPENING AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE CHAINSAW ACCIDENTS IN YOUR SECTOR.

 

 

Responses to this request to [email protected]

 

I was thinking we could run this as a collective response. We'll build up a thread and I'll mail it through to the HSE webcommunity.

 

 

So, I know that we've been over accidents before but I'd like to frame specific responses to the chainsaw issue. Its not clear if they mean top-handles or groundsaws so any experiences that any of you have that relate to the above would be helpful.

 

So, does commercial pressure results in accidents?

[christreeroot]

The majority of accidents dont happen to compitent users.

 

As i take it why do the HSE not record DIY accidents as accidents in the building trade but tree related accidents by part timers, cowboys and diy'ers are recorded as industry accidents and therefore we as an industry are punished.

 

Until the above is addressed the HSE are working under false pretences.....

[RPA]

IMO YES

 

The pressure of finishing a job within a time scale and fatigue by working longer/faster because of commercial pressure must be a major cause.

 

(This is excluding DIY pillock accidents)

[Amelanchier]

I agree it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the statistics of qualified/non qualified individual accidents.

[conkers]

As far as I can see there are more and more DIYers willing to do there own chainsaw work.

Ballsy and stupid!

 

I think underpricing and other commercial pressures play a big part in accidents.

Also wanting to finish a job when the weather turns nasty!

 

This is not meant in bad taste but did an arborist have a saw accident in Cumbria last week? If so, is he/she ok?

A friend said it was mentioned on local radio.

[treedave]

Conkers,

 

All I know is that it was a guy from a well known landscaping/ amenity grass cutting firm (Continental I think). Cutting from a ladder, ladder shifted and hey presto, cut arm. How bad I don't know but he was air lifted out, nothing in the local paper (gazette).

 

Hope all is as well as can be expected.

[conkers]

mmm.Continental are really good at amenity hort but cutting from a ladder?

 

They must have tight regs!

 

Hope they are ok.

[Amelanchier]

Commercial pressure or just poor job planning? Maybe a bit of both???

[Mr Ed]

I dont think it causes accidents. Poor planning maybe, but if you ever see a commercial softwood cutter going down a stem, it would put any arborist to shame, those guys move about 4 times faster without having accidents.

 

loss of concentration and occasional / inexperienced users is the largest cause of chainsaw accidents.

[Marc]

I dont think it causes accidents. Poor planning maybe, but if you ever see a commercial softwood cutter going down a stem, it would put any arborist to shame, those guys move about 4 times faster without having accidents.

 

loss of concentration and occasional / inexperienced users is the largest cause of chainsaw accidents.

 

Agreed.

 

I do a mixture of work, most of it involves big machines and big trees, we work hard and fast to be productive and competitive. I've seen less accidents due to experience and good team work.

 

In my experience i've worked with other outfits, that try to be highly productive pushing inexperienced teams to produce a high volume of work, this has caused accidents, but its all down to lack of experience and poor team work.

 

In summary I don't think pressure to be commercially productive plays a huge role in accidents, not having the experience to know your pushing yourself to hard and are fatigued is.

 

So I think the blame can in part be laid on the employer, for underpricing then expecting to much, or for pushing inexperienced teams to do jobs which expose them to accidents.