Mark Bolam

Aye, I bet I know someone who could melt it eh @MattyF?

It looks like Ocean Polyester, but I didn't think they made bigger than 10mm diameter? Could be wrong, mind, I often am. @Tommy_B would know the best splice if it is.

Can I just ask, why no bark? I can't think of any situation where any tree surgeon would be chipping timber with no bark on it, so you will be limiting your options somewhat.

I tend not to combine them if I can help it, but it’s easy enough to wear the ascender either over or under your spikes. I’ve got Geckos as well.

It's bullshit Mick, makes no difference at all.

He's not Brocky, he's still up there.

Spectrum Plant do them mate. If you go on their website you can download a return form so you can send them up to them postage free.

From what I can gather it's a film about gang violence, which is attracting violent gangs to go and watch it, with obvious consequences. Usual third world suspects.

Totally job dependent re the top tie mate. Definitely isolate if there’s much chance of a base tie being compromised.

A massive advantage of SRT for me has been the easy setting of high anchors. This takes that straight out of the game. I appreciate your sentiment, like, but I’ll stick to using two lines for jobs when it helps me.

If you’re just dumping the chip and the customer is moving it that’s fairly simple. If you’re just dropping the trees and the customer is moving them to the play park then you are chipping them, then that’s a different game entirely.

Have you been getting your lass to tie you up again?

I don’t understand the question.

Joe would definitely buy something if he could leave it on his harness for the pub after work.

I think what Stevie is getting at is that you shouldn’t be putting yourself in that position. I’d be picking the place to fell it where it did least damage, and if they didn’t like that idea I’d proceed on to the next job. No climber owes his life to some prick who lets his trees get so dead and crispy they can’t be climbed.

That's the one Paul. The OP was never heard from again.

Riding the hook is the best thing about crane work.

Good to see that Ger is ahead of the curve on HSE compliance.

Bargain. I have signed up.

Quite a while ago, obviously. When flares were still in.

I've now got a worrying image in my head involving Mick, a queue of blokes, and a blow up doll, sorry, dummy.

Turners eh? My experience pretty much reflects yours.

Two good posts, pretty much saying the same thing, albeit it in slightly different terminology!

BALI are a really good organisation, and I have some involvement with them and contacts there. Having said that, I agree with you wholeheartedly. The whole thing seems to be a constantly goalpost-changing clusterfuck, which is putting professionals off doing things right. ROLO/LISS/CSCS/CITB/YMCA/BOGOF is just a confusing mishmash. Arb seems to be an afterthought. CSCS don’t even seem to have it on the menu as such, although I think we have established that we can’t argue anymore that we aren’t part of the construction process, especially site clearance. There doesn’t even seem to be much correlation with SSSTS/SMSTS. I’m generally a fan of tickets, they separate the wheat from the chaff and cut the nomads out of the food chain, but they need to add value and really mean something, and last a while. If I want to pay money for pieces of paper that don’t last very long I can go to Tesco and get 16 rolls of Andrex for £3.99.

Good post Marc. @monkeybusiness regarding 'Mark Bolam - what are the potential changes you’ve heard of? Good or bad?!', pretty much as Marc and others have said. BALI want everyone's card to be relevant to what they are actually doing on site. The catch-all green cards won't cut it for much longer. Blue skilled operative will be required (we are skilled aren't we?), and a team will need one of them to hold a Supervisor's card (someone has to be in charge). More information here - LISS/CSCS WWW.BALI.ORG.UK