Chainsaw update training to become mandatory for all operatives from Oct 2013

[fatharrywhite]

If the powers that be are really interested in making the industry safer surely the Forestry Commission, Tilhill etc. should be prepared to put their hands in their pockets as well in pricing jobs to cover all the extra certification. I contacted someone for work through this site who was offering £85 a day- if you're running your own tools & transport that's barely subsistence.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

FISA are calling me back to confirm if this is going to be mandatory for Arb, will post back when they let me know the situation.

 

Jamie, any response on this?

 

In all honesty I wouldn't expect so as FISA, as the name implies, are a representative body for the 'forest industries' and not the 'arb industry' (unless of course 'arbs' are working in / for the forest industries when they probably would apply the requirement for consistency.)

 

However, what it does do is set a 'benchmark' in a (closely) related / allied industry and hence, to some extent, perhaps sets a precedent...or at least an expectation.

 

Refresher training is always a 'thorny issue', for a variety of often very valid reasons, but I too often come across contractors who hold nothing more than CS30/31 ('old money') and that offers considerable opportunity to both 'up-skill', i.e. CS32 or wind-blow (CS34/35), which will also act, at least to some extent, as a refresher of their base line skills.

 

A further opportunity arises with CS39 up-skilling to CS41, and thereafter there are many 'advanced' climbing / rigging courses available to further up-skill and refresh.

 

Keep us posted.

Paul

[Bren.]

Unless the courses and all the administration needed to make this happen is FREE, it has everything to do with additional spending and possible waste of funds. IMHO the UK is the most heavily regulated and taxed country in the Western world, although some folks in power over here can't seem to tax enough, thats another thread:sneaky2:. Having additional regulation and over lapping more rules and regs over and over is pretty much insane, and use less to boot!

easy-lift guy

Speaking of Tax.

Where's the 200 years of tea tax you lot owe us.

Cash only, no cheques.

[tommytopsoil]

If the powers that be are really interested in making the industry safer surely the Forestry Commission, Tilhill etc. should be prepared to put their hands in their pockets as well in pricing jobs to cover all the extra certification. I contacted someone for work through this site who was offering £85 a day- if you're running your own tools & transport that's barely subsistence.

 

If the powers that be are really interested in making the industry safer then more profit needs to filter through to the contractors. A contractor making good money is less likely to cut corners and more likely to comply with legislation/spend where necessary on whatever is necessary. So long as the FC/Th/SW etc along with all the big mills continue to want something for nothing then there will be no voluntary improvement across the board.

 

Jamie, any response on this?

In all honesty I wouldn't expect so as FISA, as the name implies, are a representative body for the 'forest industries' and not the 'arb industry' (unless of course 'arbs' are working in / for the forest industries when they probably would apply the requirement for consistency.)

 

However, what it does do is set a 'benchmark' in a (closely) related / allied industry and hence, to some extent, perhaps sets a precedent...or at least an expectation.Paul

 

As long as 'Arb' contractors keep running round in unimogs and tractors and taking shelter under the Forestry banner with its ties to Agriculture then everyone will be branded the same. It is a simple case of being one or the other - otherwise they will see simply that everyone p*sses in the same pot and compliance will be mandatory irrespective of opinion.

A likely answer will be 'Prove you are not involved with Forestry' and as soon as you prove it to FISA, I am sure that HMRC/VOSA/local council/etc etc will be rather more interested in this 'proof'.

Head down, do the refresher. It is safety after all...

[fatharrywhite]

For some reason I'm reminded about being told not to run with scissors.

[Nick H]

The Word from the FCA is that they would like to role it out to all saw users. HSE are watching to see if it can be implemented. I have to agree with Donald from the FCA on FISA, Having spoke to a couple of training providers regarding this nobody from FISA has been in touch to explain it and having looked at the website it looks like a money spinner. I'm all for keeping up to date and the HSE has always stated the refersher time scale. I don't see why a group of large companies should be dictating to others about levels of training when the contracted prices are made so low. Sorry for the moan but it really is starting to gripe. Sorry again.

[scotspine1]

I wont be doing any chainsaw refresher courses.

 

This BS has to stop, sick to the back teeth of it.

 

There are too many people in the UK sitting behind desks trying to justify their meaningless job titles by trying to implement some new training course under the guise of moving the industry forward.

 

We have to learn to recognise these scams when they're thrown at us, and chainsaw refresher/update training for serious professional users is one such scam.

[fatharrywhite]

I've been working on Forestry Commission sites all this year & I'm not aware of any efforts by them to make sure everyone got the memo. I just found out because I started working for someone else & my details got passed on as part of the risk assessment, they're f*nnies.

[fatharrywhite]

Contacted several companies last week about getting on some courses but nobody's phoned me back- are they running businesses or what? If the idea is to take the industry into the 21st century then the infrastructure should be in place, this is s**t.

[County 764]

So Has anybody emailed FISA regarding it all?

 

[email protected]

[email protected]

 

They don't seem to like hearing the views of chainsaw users:thumbdown: