Any help/tips/advice for working on a leaning pole?

[Ewan Murray]

what ben said works really well, double wrapping your lanyard/pole belt/flipline can help on smoother poles, when it gets really horizontal get ready to ride the horse!

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Know it's a work planning issue and maybe out of your control, but was a MEWP or CRANE considered?

 

They're great tools and it means you don;t have 'knackered knees' syndrome at age 30 (n they can often result in a 'safer' system of work being adopted.)

 

C'mon fellas think outside the "grin n bear it" box n believe me, and doubtless many other testaments, doin stuff like this on a regualr basis will take its toll!

 

SORRY, this sounds like a bit of a rant...but it's honestly with your best interest at heart.

 

Tc..

Paul

[Al Cormack]

I take your point Paul, but hard to justify hire costs and delivery costs to and from site for a lot of our work.

 

OP reckoned rigging was overkill, so wonder what he thinks about a crane.....

 

Al

[WorcsWuss]

I hate these things, I had a line of them down the edge of our wood out over the road & a phone line.

I struggled with it for ages trying to find good WP.... As others said, lengthen your strop right out so you're still sitting back.

On real leaners I crossed my feet up over the stem behind me and sat on my heels.

Bit juicy on the old plums, shins & knees mind you, couldn't go on all day doing it like that....

 

I've demanded a cherry picker for the last few which are tangled up with the phone line!

 

Still waiting mind you.....

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

I take your point Paul, but hard to justify hire costs and delivery costs to and from site for a lot of our work.

 

OP reckoned rigging was overkill, so wonder what he thinks about a crane.....

 

Al

 

Hi Al,

 

I acknowledge, particularly on a single job basis, that financial justification can be hard but I also think its sometimes a 'mind-set' thing too and costs are an easy way out.

 

Direct costs are easy to factor, but what about the indirect costs in terms of safer working often means greater efficiency, means less 'wear and tear' on your body / knees = longer productive industry time, means reduced likelihood of accidents through fatigue = no loss of income etc. etc.

 

I know its easy for me to 'Pontifract Cakes', sorry pontificate, whilst sat in a nice warm office and wearing my H&S hat but we do need to look to work smarter and incoporating MEWPs etc. at the work planning /costing stage will start to improve things for everyone.

 

Cheers..

Paul

[Le Sanglier]

Hi Al,

 

I acknowledge, particularly on a single job basis, that financial justification can be hard but I also think its sometimes a 'mind-set' thing too and costs are an easy way out.

 

Direct costs are easy to factor, but what about the indirect costs in terms of safer working often means greater efficiency, means less 'wear and tear' on your body / knees = longer productive industry time, means reduced likelihood of accidents through fatigue = no loss of income etc. etc.

 

I know its easy for me to 'Pontifract Cakes', sorry pontificate, whilst sat in a nice warm office and wearing my H&S hat but we do need to look to work smarter and incoporating MEWPs etc. at the work planning /costing stage will start to improve things for everyone.

 

Cheers..

Paul

Hi Paul,

You are one of my "go to" posters, ie when I see your name I will often check out what you have to say because you put your points across well.

I don't want to come out with the old "in the real world" nonsense because I daresay you paid your dues.

It's just that I think you are banging your noggin against a wall with all this Mewp stuff. Of course they are brilliant for the right job and can make money, but day to day it's just not going to happen.

Most blokes here work one or two days on a job max, back gardens, tight access, you know the score. Its all about money, they are not going to fork out to buy or rent if they can climb cheaper

If you keep jumping in on every thread when someone has a problem cimbing to say "have you tried a mewp? ask your boss for a mewp! your knees won't hurt in 20 years time if you get one" you risk perhaps going off message with some people, just sayin'

best regards

Mick

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Hi Paul,

You are one of my "go to" posters, ie when I see your name I will often check out what you have to say because you put your points across well.

I don't want to come out with the old "in the real world" nonsense because I daresay you paid your dues.

It's just that I think you are banging your noggin against a wall with all this Mewp stuff. Of course they are brilliant for the right job and can make money, but day to day it's just not going to happen.

Most blokes here work one or two days on a job max, back gardens, tight access, you know the score. Its all about money, they are not going to fork out to buy or rent if they can climb cheaper

If you keep jumping in on every thread when someone has a problem cimbing to say "have you tried a mewp? ask your boss for a mewp! your knees won't hurt in 20 years time if you get one" you risk perhaps going off message with some people, just sayin'

best regards

Mick

 

Hi Mick, thank you for your post and comments therein which I do acknowledge.

 

I'm not a H&S boffin (I hope) who is naive enough to say use MEWPs on every occasion but I do feel compelled to prophesize their virtues and 'argue their corner' when most argue against. However in so doing I don;t wnat to lose face, so to speak, so I will think carefully about what you've said.

 

I also come from an angle of knowing many businesses, and granted whilst they are small businesses they are mainly running at least two teams but actually one is "one man and his dog" who has an old BT (I think) Merc Sprinter van-mounted with 15m lift which he is incredibly proficient with AND uses in combination with climbing, (sorry, went off track there) who actually own MEWPs and they are so incredibly useful and versatile...if you can get them to the tree (which is your very point!)

 

Do you know what tho, wherever we can we should embrace technological advances, not only because H&S Law says we should, but because it can prolong our working lives and means we stay fit and healthy for the in between times (said from one who has significantly reduced grip strength thanks to minmal AV systems on old chainsaws whihc impacts on me daily...do you play a violin by any chance? )

 

Cheers..

Paul

 

PS Is it okay to be one of your 'poster boys' or whatever you said !

[Le Sanglier]

Thanks for the reply,

There are always certain firms in an area who lead the way, when small potatoes like me see them taking work with mewps the vans go silent on the way home as we start to figure out how to get one.

Jealousy and greed, it's what drives us all on!

[Albedo]

Sometimes you can get an anchor into another tree that’s 50 or 60 yards away… you may be above that anchor and a swing would have an ark that goes 10 feet below ground level. This doesn’t matter as it still allows you to brace off to the side of your leaner. You are as safe as houses working braced off the side.

 

 

If nothing at all is available stay on top using earlier advice and don’t slip… you’ll take one in the chin or the crown jewels at worst. Just perhaps plan your cuts especially on pushing or pulling chain so that you leave the saw safe if you gaff out. You can have it in your head to make the last thing you do as you slip being to hit the off switch then nothing too bad can happen.

 

Also.. you will always find these tricky but don’t let this make you hate being on spikes. Spikes are good…you can go anywhere on them. Do lots of easier stuff on them and this type of thing will become very slightly less scary.

[log dog]

just wondering what the other guys with you thought ? did you have a supervisor with you ? and dont forget its ok to ask for a second opinion ... keep up the good can do attitude but dont go to far .. good luck