AA Teccie (Paul)

"Here, here Kevin"...sounds like you're now ideally placed to present for ARB Approval Better be quick tho if you want to be the first (real) Cornwallian ArbAC Cheers.. Paul

Need to be careful where there is a possibility of leaching into adjacent water courses as in a previous case the EA prosecuted a tree surgeon for (inadvertently) allowing so and killing some fish...or similar. Cheers.. Paul

Hi all, Just a quick 'BUMP' and to confirm the workshop venue as the Wrexham ITEC. Hoping to see you there but please do book the course, again FoC, using the above link. Cheers Paul

Hi. the traditional route to MICFor has been via a forestry degree, or now arb degree of course. I believe they have previously accepted the RFS Prof. Dip. Arb as a deemed equivalent but, as I understand it, there is some concern re- the ABC Awards L6 Arb because it only involves 60 credits as opposed to 240 credits and 360 credits for the FdSc Arb and BSc Arb respectively (credits are the 'building blocks' of qualifications, hence the more credits the 'BIGGER' the qual...but often at the same level, e.g. level 5/6.) Hence prob. best to speak to the ICF for a definitive as things may have changed, or may do so in the future (I don't know.) Good luck with your application Paul

Great post, thank you Steve Paul

As a benchmark, EL insurance is a requirement for ARB Approved even for Sole Traders regardless of how they engage their staff as the HSE guidance is massively "open to interpretation." Certain employers/clients will also look favourably on you holding the insurance. Hence I would strongly advise having it. Cheers.. Paul

Hi Mike, Is it worth reminding people, and me , of the insurance implications here, i.e. that one of them can come back on you if it goes wrong...is that 'contract lift'? Cheers, Paul

Hi Kevin, Ideally the preference is to book directly at this link Safety & Health Awareness Day for Arboricultural Contractors albeit it may not have been 'up' when you tried to book. I'll check with Tiff n get back to you. Apologies.. Paul

Just tryin the Friday philosophical approach to quell the high level of emotions here. You're right in what you say but not everyone has the bottle to stand up to an employer n say "I'm not using that coz it's dangerous" n that's perhaps where H&S reps / advisors / AA / HSE can help give them a voice. Dunno, don't shoot the messenger tho TTFN.. Paul

Tree worker in court after father and son suffer hand injuries | Media centre - HSE ...perhaps it's time to reflect. Cheers, n for goodness sake "take care out there..!" Paul

Ed, thank you, very succinct. Paul

I would sincerely hope so as, effectively, you're both refreshing and 'up-skilling' in tree felling operations. Might be different if you were going from CS32(/33) to CS34 Windblow as its different, stating the obvious, and they (FISA) may not accept that. We would certainly accept it for the ArbAC Scheme. May be worth pre-empting any problems and contacting whomever if offering the job/contract...or maybe not. Cheers.. Paul

Treework is inherently dangerous, a point we all acknowledge. Getting it right at the sharp-end, forgive the pun, is the essence of 'applied' safety. By choosing the right people/employees n having a healthy respect for what we do goes a long way to achieving safety, NOT forgetting (good) experience of course, and these are often the behavioural aspects that prevail. Hence, IME, it's often not the 'operational' safety aspects that are failing but perhaps more the 'health' aspects, HAVS / NIHL (Workplace Deafness) / MSDs etc., AND, more often, the 'compliance' aspects of the business. This, i.e. 'compliance', often controls access to commercial work, in particular, and that's the primary benefit perhaps that H&S advisors and accreditation can therefore bring. Along with protecting you as the employer in the (unlikely) event of an accident / incident having the necessary stuff in place can also serve to reassure your insurers you are doing what you need to / should be. SORRY, sounding like a sales pitch now , BUT please do think it through carefully. Cheers all.. Paul (the AA "pen-pusher" )

Hi Shane, I applaud your approach here. Whilst having a 'retained' H&S Advisor can improve safety performance and H&S compliance, and indeed serve you well in the (unlikely) event of an accident / incident, so too can having an accredited business, e.g. ARB Approved. Also both can potentially bring commercial benefits, or certainly more easily satisfy certain contractual requirements for 'competent H&S advice' etc. Should you wish to know more please give me a call. However, this feels like I'm 'hi-jacking' someone else's post (apologies Steve) so I'll depart n say n'more. Cheers.. Paul

Hi Steve, as a matter of interest, I would interpret 'modern safety' as a measure of compliance with current regs and safety guidance etc., e.g. FISA / AFAG / HSE leaflets and, for instance, ensuring that your planning process for tree work at height complies, SFARP, with the W@H Regs. Your 'on-site' technology using smart phones / I-pads etc. is more 'modern (IT) technology' is it not...there's nothing new, or modern, about risk assessment which has been around since 1992. Sorry, I'm Paul (Smith) and I manage the Arbor. Association's "Approved Contractor" Scheme, an 'industry specific' business accreditation opportunity, and I too deal with H&S...and whilst I'm not Chartered IOSH I am industry based. I look forward to reading the replies here. Good luck with your new venture Paul PS what do mean by those "awkward crown reduction plans"?

Also, if you speak to any marketing expert they'll tell you to promote your 'USP' (unique selling point) as a business, in other words WHY should they use you over and above someone else...trouble is often identifying a suitable 'USP'. Perhaps being local, perhaps offering the full tree service inc. stump grinding, perhaps offering a FREE quote (altho most do anyway), perhaps being qualified AND accredited , perhaps all of these...and more, or some. Good luck.. Paul

Nope...this is the guidance for trees in Con. Areas When must replacement trees be planted? If a tree in a conservation area is removed, uprooted or destroyed in contravention of section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the landowner has a duty to plant another tree of an appropriate size and species at the same place as soon as he or she reasonably can. The same duty applies if a tree in a conservation area is removed because it is dead or presents an immediate risk of serious harm. The duty attaches to subsequent owners of the land.

Hi all, just thought it might be useful to clarify things here (mainly for my benefit of course ) The Regs. covering Conservation Areas are Reg. 15 BUT refer in the first instance to 'exceptions' for TPO'd trees detailed in Reg. 14, hence: What are the exceptions for work on dead trees and branches? Unless work is urgently necessary because there is an immediate risk of serious harm, five working days prior written notice must be given to the authority before cutting down or carrying out other work on a dead tree. The authority’s consent for such work is not required. The exceptions allow removal of dead branches from a living tree without prior notice or consent. Also of interest: What is the exception for work on dangerous trees and branches? Where a tree presents an immediate risk of serious harm and work is urgently needed to remove that risk, tree owners or their agents must give written notice to the authority as soon as practicable after that work becomes necessary. Work should only be carried out to the extent that it is necessary to remove the risk. Hopping this is useful Cheers all.. Paul PS The above is applicable in England ONLY. PPS Why now 'exceptions' rather than as previously 'exemptions'? The best answer I can get is it helps to differentiate the 'new' Regs from the old....reasonable perhaps (albeit everyone still refers to exemptions...ah well.)

Fair comment, I guess it depends, to some extent, on the degree of 'deadness' and your local LPA TO preferences. The '5 day notice' might be an alternative under certain circumstances possibly Cheers, n hope you're well. Paul

Assuming your tree is in England as the current 2012 Regs. only apply there. If in Wales they still operate the 1999 Regs but whilst dead-wooding is generally accepted to be an exempt activity its worth confirming such with the LPA. Skyhuck, can't you also remove a (clearly) 'dead tree' without notification, albeit obliged to replace? Cheers.. Paul

Kevin, very astute! It's been a long day here and my initially misinterpreting the post kinda swayed my subsequent comments. I'll go now n leave it to the 'experts' Hope you're well.. Paul

Apologies, I misinterpreted that the owner was the Local Authority (LA)....DOOH! I would suggest still emailing the LA then and giving them an intended start date for the works "as previously discussed" etc. and confirming to them your understanding that there are no planning restrictions, e.g. TPO / Con. Area, preventing the works from proceeding. It does sound like someone from the LA is covering all angles, just in case. Hence, for complete 'belt n braces' you may wish to get written (email) confirmation from the LPA, i.e. LA Planning Dept, that there are no protections in place. Sorry, I'm waffling a bit and, of course, adopting the "proceed with caution" approach Cheers.. Paul

Perhaps, to cover yourself, put in an application / specification to whomever is instructing you by email and await their reply before proceeding. Whilst the tree(s) may not be TPO'd they are, presumably, in their ownership so, in effect, you are getting permission...kinda. Good luck.. Paul

Hi Tom, I understand your frustration, ad indeed apologise for any contribution we've inadvertently made. We do (try) to talk to the Commission but with very varying degrees of success, which varies greatly in the different regions. Whilst the FC are obviously one organisation, in my experience, the regions operate with varying degrees of autonomy and trying to get a consistent approach is challenging (a grave understatement!) The most recent example of this would be two 'tree surgery' framework contracts advertised side by side on the FC website where one (East Anglia) stipulated contractors must be ARB Approved and the other (South West) didn't mention it at all. As an aside, but related, at a recent HSE event, 2 chaps from the FC were present and when I questioned them about their take on things, as far as tree surgery was concerned, and they indicated mandatory FISA training would not be applicable in the tree...but as soon as they stood on the ground it would. Needless to say I raised my eyebrows over the top of my head..! We will persevere where/when we can. Cheers.. Paul