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Mark Cattell

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Everything posted by Mark Cattell

  1. Mark Cattell
    Received my new england rope 37m rope today, Thanks to Martyn and co at Honey Brothers and thanks Mr Bullman for a grand job on the raffle your a good man.
  2. Mark Cattell
    My old man has got it... he's as rough as hell... hope you do better... can be very nasty..
  3. Mark Cattell
    I would be more worried about the long term exposure to food stuffs packaged in plastics and residual chemicals from industrial cleaning products and pesticide herbicides used in food production and the bio-accumulation of chemicals in the food chain than some residual chemicals from Yew chopping board...
  4. Mark Cattell
    Act local, think global.... Simple mantra circa 1972 but still holds a lot of weight.... This is how I make my decisions ranging from the work I do, the goods I buy, the holidays I take and the knowledge, ideas and morals I share with my children. Tread softly on this earth.... Love and be loved, its a fleeting ride but one worth enjoying to the end..... NOTE: no one want to listen to a miserable man....(or woman)
  5. Mark Cattell
    Don't fear the truth...
  6. Mark Cattell
    This was a hot topic back in the 90's when I was studying at Uni, the biggest concern at the time was the production of GM seed stock that was drought tolerant but also produced non or low seed bearing plants, thefore the farmers (most in developing countries) became instantly reliable on buying in seed rather than having a sustainable source of seed year upon year from their own production. in many cases the inital seed was given away or sold very cheap, then after a few seasons prices where pushed up and the farmers had no choice... and like you noted the natural local varieties crossed with the GM plants and its off spring was poor in producing viable seed.... This is fact not conspiracy or rantings of a loon.... think on...
  7. Mark Cattell
    Is this an informed response.... are you a sole trader operating a similar vehicle?
  8. Mark Cattell
    I had been informed that a sole trader running a 7.5 tonne truck would not require a O licence. I've never followed this up but would be interested in a informed answer for future reference. I contemplating investing in a commercial vehicle as a project and for use on jobs I undertake as a sole trader working with other freelance operators... I have looked around a you get more for your money on the over 3.5 tonne market.
  9. Mark Cattell
    On your o licence requirements, I'd wait and get the right answer keep records of your enquiries and who you have logged your enquiry with, times departments emails keep them with the vehicle get the right advise and invest in the right choice.... Keeping you vehicle well maintained and safe falls under PUWER even if its exempt from all other checks including MOT. if a accident occurs it will be down to you to provide adequate records on the suitability maintenance and condition of the equipment involved so even if your exempt invest in good record keeping, service intervals receipts and daily/weekly checks are always good and easy to keep. TACO do defect duplicate books and I'm sure there are templates available on line.
  10. Mark Cattell
    At the moment we have been advised that our staff do not require CPC as you say they travel from yard to worksite and are employed as Arborists not drivers. Also the amount of driving falls under the level that requires CPC..... We may require CPC on the Hiab we operate as it tends to move around more from site to site... monitoring use with tracker system will help.. a simple driver log may be worth keeping, daily sheets in cab so you can assess your real levels of driving... Then you will have a case for or against investment in CPC and evidence if you get asked to produce records.
  11. Mark Cattell
    Many tenants sign a agreement that makes them liable to maintain all vegetation within the property boundary. Including trees. If there is a safety issue that the tennants have inherited then the HA would be on thin ice to ignore any issues. If its simply a annoyance to the neighbours then write to the HA to consider removing the trees or maintaining them to a more suitable size and within the boundary of their property. What HA is it as I manage a few contracts for Birmingham based HA so may be able to help...
  12. Mark Cattell
    Short answer is NO... It also seems unnecessary to risk both your kit and your life... I rock Climb and would never use my tree harness.. Dynamic and static designs... A rock climbing harness may seem basic and light but its designed for its task.... A tree climbing harness is not designed for multiple Dynamic Falls. Would your wear a Cycle helmet on a motorcycle? Common sense approach....
  13. Mark Cattell
    Unless your local authority then any sick pay is short term... i.e. up to 6 months to 1 year.. after that you would be on benefits... Lots of insurance out their and all costs money... I take my chances and have none other than those held by the business.. no critical illness ect. That said my good wife is a secondary school teacher and would have to work full time if could not.... Still paying the odds as if we both fell ill we be on the breadline but you take your chances..... I'm sure like you hindsight and some illness cover would have been very useful but the one's i looked at had some many restrictions and lead in time that they always seemed poor value... If you find a product that seems to fit the bill the let me know.... Glad to hear your on the upwards end of recovery... good health to you and all for the future.
  14. Mark Cattell
    I'd miss the mad, funny, arrogant, vain, smelly, wild, weird, dumb, brilliant, scary, happy, miserable, mean, generous, dynamic, stubborn, ugly, handsome, fat, skinny, young, old people I have worked with.... you have all gave so much and so little and made me the person I am today..... I would miss you all, and in some cases do...... Cheers to you all... the good the bad and the ugly.....
  15. Mark Cattell
    ditto... Probably been used to cut down some conifer in the garden, by a domestic user, trapped bar... cutting into soil ect ect..... not even cleaned off after use...
  16. Mark Cattell
    As for the French insult... I'm sure they won't loose any sleep over the francophobia... They are a very self assured nation (similar to us British) that don't need to react to mindless generalizations about their culture and systems... Hence they have not adopted the English (American) language unlike a lot of Europeans and the rest of the world... I respect them for that.....
  17. Mark Cattell
    I'm sure this is a balanced approach... The grinding machine as part of your kit is a large outlay... The hire costs are reasonable so I'd be looking at number crunching and see what best for your business needs.. also size of machine is very dependant on contact requirements. Domestic work is very varied when it comes to access to work zone so unless you have a swiss army grinder then I'd look at hire machines and still make you money without the hassle of servicing maintenance ect.... Also you can hire the right machine for the task.... As a city based Arborist I have a number of hire options so this work for me, maybe different fo you are based miles from a specialist hire shop.
  18. Mark Cattell
    Try Dave Riding if your stuck... Your required spec the rip out would be better than mulching (in my opinion) if I was re-landscaping the site post clearance. Look at a rip out tub grind or large capacity/bomb proof shredder to turn into biomass.. good calorific return on thorn so product may be worth a few £££... Good luck....
  19. Mark Cattell
    Terry the Stone-Mason 07957281940.. Midlands based... comes recommended from local authority works carried out in Coventry on memorial park and cemetery works..... Hope he can help seemed like a good bloke who knows his job....
  20. Mark Cattell
    Try a multi task mulching machine or similar... a smaller RT unit would be good but what's your plan for the site following clearance? Thorn chippings give a great slow release nutrient paypack (according to Dr Gynn Percivel) when used a mulch so if replanting then this may be your prefered option. Ground conditions will be the main issue as its been a wet one as we are all aware....
  21. Mark Cattell
    Paul, Thanks for that.... The usual minefield that the Arb industry seems to generate. Think I will stick to the common sense principle as you say if its a skill rarely used then get regular refresher training or remove from your skill set. If there are changes in best practice or additional mandatory elements in new assessments IE pole rescue then get trained and documented,, nationally recognised training provider... Or a qualified in house trainer with up to date skills set.
  22. Mark Cattell
    Paul Can you confirm that there is or is not a set level of input for refresher training and who it is endorsed by? Ie Lantra. City and Gulids ect. Also is CPD accepatable as a record of refresher training. ie a advanced climbing workshop. a pole rescue workshop. ect...
  23. Mark Cattell
    This would be great... Also in a tool box talk format so can be shown to staff as part of refresher/CPD input... Probably be best to be labelled as guidance to best practice... Backed up by (qualified trainers/assessors to add weight to it) Maybe some input from equipment suppliers/manufactures to support a budget and showcase their kit at the same time.....
  24. Mark Cattell
    Good luck, keep us posted, hope mother and baby do well... its a need to know experience that you will never forget..... Being a Dad is a great honour... enjoy every moment they grow up very fast... sleep at every given opportunity regardless of time of day, even if your 40ft up a tree.... find a nice bough and have a snooze.....
  25. Mark Cattell
    Pole rescue is now mandatory for aerial rescue which was not the case when i was assessed so this element would be use full element of a refresher course. Does any one know if the refresher is a Lantra accredited scheme? If its not any qualified trainer can issue a refresher Certificate and with no fixed hourly requirement this could be 1 or even 1/2 a day. Similar to driving training. I would be cheaper to be reassessed as there is no requirement for formal training to be NPTC assessed!!! Just hope your pass......

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