likeitorlumpit

Thats mainly what we did although the small stuff we chipped and removed from site. I was wondering whether he would be liable if he hadn't had any tree report done which is ' likely' the case. In truth though, it most probably was just the extreme wind.

This one has got both me and the housing association confused. A neighbours conifer- about 50-60 feet had fallen across a tennants property not doing any damage other than to the tripple point fence. The tree remained at 45 degrees to the ground. It was reduced (Xmas eve) by by the neighbours tree team just enough to prevent the sail causing damage. All arisings left in the garden. But then the trees owner was advised by his insurance company that he need do no more and it was now the housing associations responsibility. Act of God was mentioned. Can this right?

I've heard so many diets in my time on this planet. From meat free to all meat. Cut the salt- you need salt. On and on it goes just feeding our insecurities. Can anyone remember the 'everything in moderation' diet. Makes life so much easier and social.

skyhook is right - January is a depressing month when you first start- the phone may have stopped ringing in early December and you sit there watching TV waiting for it to start again. If you wait, it'll be end March before things improve. You need to be proactive. Get out there. network. Go say hello to people. Grab every bit of confidence, take it with you and don't let 'no' chip away at it.

Not true My bank doesn't charge for BACS only cheques 85pence grrr.. It's all well and good saying you pass this cost on to the customer but that would be cash in your pocket if you didn't use it. Can't understand why people want to willingly give money to these device people. Is it because you don't trust that the customer will pay and sleep easier with the money in your account. Is £20 or more worth it bearing in mind your profit for a £600 job may only be £200 - it's 10% of your profit= madness. Maybe I'm wrong but think about it. That money could be yours................ and 100% of it would be profit.

Rich- the front of the chip box rises at least 1.5metres on ours- probably more like 2metres If you mean the ram rises 700mm- then thats when it's important to know where it is located and how the mechanism works. I'm sure you know this and must be having a blonde moment. It's all that upping and downing in that boat:biggrin:

We're removing a large cedar soon. You've given me an idea with the shingles- I'm wanting a shelter for my new woodland and that fits the bill perfectly- Thanks How thin should they be. Anyone tried this?

OK- that makes total sense My question now is. Do you know of any precedents in this field? Maybe a precedent that supported someone who saved a life/saved serious injury by physical restraint though that restrained person sustained some injury. It would be good if we could all feel able to use minimal physical restraint without too much come back. Having said that, not to use it unless absolutely necessary. From where I'm coming from, I would expect, should we be involved in a case like this, the member of staff, possibly his/her workmates on site and definately the directors of the company would all be sued in court by no win/ no fee guys. Thats where I come in and I need to be giving the correct instruction to my staff to deal with these cases (incredibly rare I know but it does happen) The best advice so far is the 'killing with kindness' approach. I too find this works incredibly well. Just a smile and a 'sorry but can you just wait a short while' does work in 99.9% of cases. It's just when the situation escalates that we need an easily understood policy. So..... anyone know any legal precedents? Has anyone on here been in that position?

strong cheese and fruit cake is a classic but.....................once tried rarely repeated.

can't beat mature cheddar. Even the French who are supposed to know a thing or two about cheese don't generally stock it. Good in sandwiches. Good on toast. Good in cooking. Whats not to like. If you go on holiday- always take cheddar(preferably strong/mature)

I've been away for a few days and am glad to see we all have these issues- wasn't it obvious I guess. I'd like to take time to sieve through all the responses and thank you all for your input. From a glance through it would seem there are as many opinions as answers and it may not be possible to get a definitive answer. That was likely. I do wish there was a legal section on arbtalk that gave black and white answers to these common issues - how about it Steve? This last answer seems the usual way with arb though how it would be tested in the courts should the third lad have kicked off is where the debate becomes serious.

I think for him- they often work in dodgy areas at night -where they find dangerous cables but haven't had time to get barriers erected. They have to deal with drunks etc. The advice is you can shout etc etc but not physically restrain. I was trying to suggest this wouldn't be enough in a court of law should it get to that. Got me thinking how I would/should deal with the pedestrian who wouldn't stop as the branch was falling. Just forward planning really. We obviously need a policy.

Well- this question has come up over Xmas when discussing with a friend who works for national Power- he's told by his bosses that the company won't back up a member of staff who physically stops a member of public entering their danger zone. How good is that advice and what would you do.

Isn't that the dilemma. Money for family/ no money for family I guess the issue is when earning money always comes first even when the family is well catered for financially. It's a juggling act. As a kid I loved having my dad around at christmas mainly because he loved christmas and he was never happier. It's a great 'family' time of year. Those without families- well they've got New Year:biggrin: Heres me, one child back from uni with his mates out. The other in Dartford then Leatherhead working on 'emergency' tree jobs. Me on the computer after working all morning on phone calls about fences and trees. Oh well- big night out for all when we come together for bowling with them and friends and a meal so it all works out. It is a juggling act- just don't start dropping the balls.

Thought the same James

Are you sure half a day is going to be enough:001_smile:

Just checked this out- we did a laverda in Madeira 2 years ago that was very hairy but this is worse. From wikipedia, the government have closed both entrances now as people were dying there. I guess if you really wanted to risk it you could climb round but stepping on failing concrete is not for the fainthearted.

4 of the units on our business estate got broken into 2 days ago. They were the ones without alarms. Makes you think.

Thats because you treat them like friends- that is a huge mistake for them and you.

you can still buy stihl stuff online without restriction I think the online dealers are ignoring the restriction- goood on them

I think reasonable is best. At the end of T day it's your fellow ratepayers who pay anyway. You took an opportunity, found you could charge for something you may have done just for karma. We all would take these 'gifts' Don't spoil it and go greedy- the money won't last long but the effect on your psyche last much longer.

Personally I don't see the need to ban mobiles. That would be counter productive as you may need to phone them when away from the job. I'd say that so long as the works being done and profit is being made and your customers are giving you good feedback then don't worry too much. Concentrate on the important things like getting in good paying work.

It is a saleable commodity. I've sold quite a bit though it's easier if you have composted it for a while first but that means double handling and that costs. But if you want a site that will take it with no notice and easy access sometimes it's just easier and more importantly quicker to give it away for free. Reminds me of the guy who I met at a boot fair who said- yeah, I'll have a load- when we turned up with a load it turned out he just wanted about 20% of it. Bit of a waste. It's just fantastic as a shrub bed mulch, we use it on all our sites.

The cost of half an hour would be about 12K for us though I can't see how you can think like that over the course of a job. If you go down this route you will be buying diesel from the most expensive garage as your blokes have less downtime as there are no queues. You've got to get going first thing then when on site and you can judge the job you can work accordingly Some days tough, some days easy Can't think how it could be any other way. No one wants to work flat out every day

This is exactly the sort of feedback we needed. I've toyed with the idea but think it best to wait. Could a blower powered by a battery ever be as good as a stihl 600. You just need raw power- get the job done as quick as.