Bottled it!

[pault]

Ok so so before anyone judges me i have to make it clear i dont make a habit of pulling out of climbing a tree. There arent many trees i wouldnt climb. With that said, this morning we were at a job for the council taking down windblow and potential windblow. The tree in question was a 70 ish foot lime with a slight lean in a woodland. The first branches/ fork was about 50 foot up. Which on any other day would be fine. But yesterday at the same sight the winds were fairly strong and i noticed the root plate moving more than one would expect from a solid tree. I used to be a rock climbing instructor and an occasionally competitive climber myself so it wasnt the height that bothered me. It was the uncertainty of the integrity of the roots i was concerned about. As you can imagine the boss wasnt happy in the slightest and sent me home. I have 4 years climbing experience (in the arb world) and i know it would probably have been fine but there was something stopping me getting my arse up there. It could easily have been winched back over on itself due to the fork being so high but the company i subbie for doesnt have a tirfor.

Im just curious as to how many of you guys have bottled climbing a tree and for what reasons? I firmly believe that your bodies self preservation mode has a lot to do with it. And why we as climbers are able to go home at the end of every day.

 

Sorry for the rant guys and gals but surely i cant be the only one.

 

Thoughts are very welcome.

Edited December 12, 2014 by pault

[hamdogg]

Picture?

[pault]

Didnt have time to take one mate, the boss was fairly adiment i left. Heres a picture of a root plate of a lime right next to the on in question. You cant see very clearly but the soil underneath was very water logged and made up of very clay like soil. The saw on the bottom right is the 660 for size scale.

[Joe Newton]

Your arse on the line, your choice. Problem with being "that bloke who'll climb anything" is that you tend to keep pushing the limits further and further. Only takes one tree to end your career or worse. If you weren't sure, and there was a safer alternative then it sounds like a sensible call. If the gaffer wasn't pleased you should have offered him your spikes and saddle.

 

I think Andy Collins here mentioned an example where a new climber "chickened out", and the boss got all huffy and went up himself, whereupon the tree promptly collapsed!

[geoff]

At the end of the day its your life, your call, & if you were not happy with the tree then fair play to you. I would imagine most of us have encountered trees that for one reason or another we have declined from going up on a particular day, what we do goes against our instincts.

 

Don't knock yourself, or take notice of others that might, ya big wuss!

[Shane]

I agree with you.

Was a risk assessment carried out?

If they did not do one then that says a lot.

 

We all moan about H&S but in cases like this it should be right on your side.

 

It stops people being put at risk as a result of their/someones's work.

 

Well done. Keep us posted on what happened after.

[pault]

Yeah a risk assessment was done but it was an overall assessment of the woodland in general, not individial trees. Last i saw the boss was gearing up to do it himself. Any other day im sure i would have done it , but something was telling me not to. Its hard to explain. Having been in mountain and river rescue im very safety orientated in general and have seen what can happen when people ignore their instincts.

[nepia]

If the company concerned is taking on windblow work why don't they have a Tirfor?!

[chrisj]

Is it just me or does it seem a bit weird that the boss was so pushy to get him to go home, that there was no time for a picture? Saying if you're not going to do it, you might as well go home then, is one thing. But to be wanting him off site so quick? Makes me wonder if he knew it was iffy and didn't want him there as a witness. Otherwise surely he would have no problem with him being around, to show him how he was wrong and it was ok.

[Marula]

Good for you, this industry is full of egos and money hungry bosses. You and your body are nothing to them. As was mentioned, it only takes one wrong climb to end your career or life. The fact that he behaved like that after you voiced concern says a lot about what he thinks of you, maybe time to choose a new company?