RE Verifying Climbing Experience

[daltontrees]

Bits of paper and talk mean nothing, chuck em up a tree, you will soon know if they have got it, it won't take a day, 10 minutes will probably be plenty.

 

10 minutes? You're kidding, aren't you? Anyone can look quick for 10 minutes but can be a total liability because they're compromising on safety. And how will 10 minutes let you see how good they are at establishing all-day-workable anchor points, suitable pulley positions, good redirects for branch walks, never mind cutting bigger stuff, directing safe snatching and lowering and generally planning out an efficient and effective dismantle?

 

I don't dash up a tree, because by the tie I get to the top I have assessed the usefulness and strength of every branch and fork and have planned the whole job out plus taken out all the annoying small stuff and got my ropes on the right side to avoid snagging on lowering operations.

 

Honestly don't know how you can suss someone out until they have done a full tree.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Good point Rupert, maybe try your local training provider. They'll have a list of all recently (and not so recently) trained people. Maybe a keen new climber will pay dividends (and be a bit less expensive).

[rupert w]

10 minutes? You're kidding, aren't you? Anyone can look quick for 10 minutes but can be a total liability because they're compromising on safety. And how will 10 minutes let you see how good they are at establishing all-day-workable anchor points, suitable pulley positions, good redirects for branch walks, never mind cutting bigger stuff, directing safe snatching and lowering and generally planning out an efficient and effective dismantle?

 

I don't dash up a tree, because by the tie I get to the top I have assessed the usefulness and strength of every branch and fork and have planned the whole job out plus taken out all the annoying small stuff and got my ropes on the right side to avoid snagging on lowering operations.

 

Honestly don't know how you can suss someone out until they have done a full tree.

 

Totally agree with this from both sides, I think what Skyhuck says is right, just by the way they enter a tree may be enough however I have met a few demolition experts(great at large dismantling) but put them on a sensitive reduction and crap(just an example).

[treequip]

10 minutes? You're kidding, aren't you? Anyone can look quick for 10 minutes but can be a total liability because they're compromising on safety. And how will 10 minutes let you see how good they are at establishing all-day-workable anchor points, suitable pulley positions, good redirects for branch walks, never mind cutting bigger stuff, directing safe snatching and lowering and generally planning out an efficient and effective dismantle?

 

I don't dash up a tree, because by the tie I get to the top I have assessed the usefulness and strength of every branch and fork and have planned the whole job out plus taken out all the annoying small stuff and got my ropes on the right side to avoid snagging on lowering operations.

 

Honestly don't know how you can suss someone out until they have done a full tree.

 

10 mins is enough, you can usually tell if they have "got it" when they get out of the van.

[daltontrees]

10 mins is enough, you can usually tell if they have "got it" when they get out of the van.

 

You can tell if they don't have it quickly enough, but I have used subbys who have done a good job olf looking the part until about mid morning when it all starts to grind to a halt.

 

The OP is looking for "a good pool of quality climbers to get the job done in the safest & professional manner as possible". How is a 10 minute van-exiting test going to do that for him?

[treequip]

You can tell if they don't have it quickly enough, but I have used subbys who have done a good job olf looking the part until about mid morning when it all starts to grind to a halt.

 

The OP is looking for "a good pool of quality climbers to get the job done in the safest & professional manner as possible". How is a 10 minute van-exiting test going to do that for him?

 

 

I have no clue how the OP will be able to gauge things but I do know I can.

 

Getting a pool of climbers seems simple to me, you just watch a few of them, discard the ones you don't want and you have a pool.

 

Some people can spot a "looking the part" when they get out of the van, for others it may take till mid morning.

[daltontrees]

I have no clue how the OP will be able to gauge things

 

That WAS his question.

 

Within a few weeks he should have tried and discarded like you. I think the first thing he should do is make sure that if they screw up during the trial period they are qualified and insured so that he is covered.

 

Anywqy, if you take on a subby for a day at £125 and he turns out only to be worth £75, you have only lost £50 worth of cimbing, and if you get him in on a fixed price for the job he has to come back the next day and finish off at his own cost and it's cost you not a lot.

[CJM]

That WAS his question.

 

Within a few weeks he should have tried and discarded like you. I think the first thing he should do is make sure that if they screw up during the trial period they are qualified and insured so that he is covered.

 

Anywqy, if you take on a subby for a day at £125 and he turns out only to be worth £75, you have only lost £50 worth of cimbing, and if you get him in on a fixed price for the job he has to come back the next day and finish off at his own cost and it's cost you not a lot.

 

The op will have to be insured not the climber

[daltontrees]

The op will have to be insured not the climber

 

You might be right but that's not the way I understand it to be. My policy, for example, says that I am insured for people in my employment but that subcontractors have to have at least teh same level of cover themselves. If someone is harmed and sues the OP for £1/2M, the insurer will pay out but if it was due to work by a subby can then recover the amount form the contractor and leave him to recover it in turn from the subby who, if he has no insurance, will be bankrupted.

 

Maybe it just depends on what your policy says, but I am pretty sure insurance isn't there as a substitute for competence or for the insurance of hired-in labour.

[CJM]

You might be right but that's not the way I understand it to be. My policy, for example, says that I am insured for people in my employment but that subcontractors have to have at least teh same level of cover themselves. If someone is harmed and sues the OP for £1/2M, the insurer will pay out but if it was due to work by a subby can then recover the amount form the contractor and leave him to recover it in turn from the subby who, if he has no insurance, will be bankrupted.

 

Maybe it just depends on what your policy says, but I am pretty sure insurance isn't there as a substitute for competence or for the insurance of hired-in labour.

 

That'll be for bonafide subcontractors not freelance climbers, you've employed that person for 1 day to work alongside you so they'll be working under your employers and public liability insurance. If you priced a job won it and got a sub contractor in to complete the job then they'll need insurance