Matthew Norman

Hi Treelover1000 1. Get in touch with individuals and companies that need your service. Have a clear plan of what you will and won't do, and where your competency lies. Think about distances you're willing to travel, tasks you're willing and able to do, kit you have or need to get, etc. Be familiar with what the legal responsibilities of yourself and your client are. 2. How much do you need? This can only be answered by yourself, and is between you and your employer. 3. I started freelancing in 2009 and have able to keep my diary relatively full about a month in advance. Keep in mind that as a subbie you will often be the first one to be dropped at short notice. It will take you a while to work out who you do and do not want to work for, and to build professional relationships. For me, freelancing was the best way forward from my position as an employee with a utility arb firm. I have learned so much in the years since, and matured personally and professionally over this time. My skills, qualifications and experiences have only increased, and having the freedom associated with being self employed was a huge improvement in my life. Freelancing isn't for everyone, and the threat of not having work coming in and therefore not earning can be daunting. Managing your time, kit, training, LOLER, machinery purchases, vehicle etc. is important, so is building trusting relationships with whoever you are working for.

I know quite a decent amount of knots, as one of my hobbies includes decorative nautical knotwork/marlinspike, and I often go thorugh Ashley's Book Of Knots lookcing up the history of knots and splices. Day-to-day though I use only a handful, including: Bowline / running bowline Bowline on a bight Alpine butterfly (with bunny ears) for SRT canopy anchor Quick hitch Clove hitch 2 round turns and 2 half hitches I used to often use VT and other friction hitch variants, but these have been replaced by mechanical devices. I could still tie 3-knot system, Blake's hitch, tautline hitch etc if needed, and the trucker's hitch has been replaced by ratchet straps.

Hi AHPP I didn't say it didn't matter. I did say to them to not sweat it (for now). I also mentioned they should keep it in mind as an area for them to improve. What regulation I would like to see discussed would be around improving the competency levels of newly qualified climbers, aimed at building their confidence when working at height. Maybe something along the lines of IRATA where a climber's competency levels are captured in a log book. I would also like to see regulation to prevent untrained and unqualified persons from being able to call themselves tree surgeons and carry out tree work operations - something similar to Gas Safe Register maybe. When the HSE investigate tree work inuries and fatalities it is recorded simply as a 'contractor' or 'worker' or 'tree surgeon' having an incident, regardless of whether the injured party is a qualified and competent chainsaw user / tree climber or not. If a higher number of untrained individuals, who label themselves as tree surgeons, are experiencing fatalities or injuries compared to trained individuals, it can distort the statistics regarding the occupational risks. These incidents, along with their corresponding data, are subsequently used in shaping policies that impact certified, skilled arborists nationwide. I would like to see a clearer distinction between fully-trained professionals and untrained individuals. I'm happy to discuss this particular topic with anyone further elsewhere, but I feel it's detracting from the original topic thread here. Thank you.

I refuse to believe that publishing an article necessarily means the AA endorses it. I feel it's potentially dangerous to go down this route. The AA has the right to post material that meets the minimum requirements of its submission guidelines, as long as the article remains within the realms of law and decency. The AA should, rightly, print an article that rebuts everything the original author published. I am unaware what the editorial guidelines are for opinion writers, or what editorial control the AA has, but it does state quite clearly on articles and on the website that the views of the author do not represent the views of the organisation. This is good practice for any organisation that aims to provide balanced arguements in order to promote discussion aimed at improving the industry.

Thank you, Steve. I don't know whether resurrecting this post will serve any beneficial purpose, but I think it goes without saying that the bias shown in the article says more about the author than the topic. The issue of subcontractors, freelancers, temporary workers, or however you want to label them, won't be resolved through namecalling and using derogatory terms. I believe there are larger concerns within the industry currently, such as its overall lack of representation, undervaluation, poor pay, and insufficient regulation. I feel that the major problem facing the industry is the size of it. It's so small that it simply gets swallowed up along with agriculture and fishing (!?), and any industry-specific concerns - such as the use of subbies - get lost in the noise.

Feel threatened, no. Feel like this is an opportunity to cross the palms of policy makers with silver, yes. Much like the recent COP meeting hosted by a major oil producing country, 'powerful' enough to pressurise the COP to change the wording of the climate change agreement to still benefit oil producing nations.

I don't know if any good will come from dragging up an article that is over four years old, but I do feel compelled to mention a few points. Full disclouse preamble - I'm an arborist of 20+ years, and have been a 'subbie' since the end of 2009, working in the utility, amenity and domestic sectors. I have worked regularly for a select group of individuals and small enterprises, while also turning down work from companies that I don't want to be associated with due to ethical and safety reasons. I'm a member of the AA, and of IOSH, and am a committee member of the IOSH Rural Industries Group. Well, I feel this as an opening statement says it all. You really needn't read any more after this statement. Apart from tarring all subbies with the same brush and using derogatory and demeaning language, the author fails to source, question and understand the reasons why someone may leave a full-time position in order to become a self-employed subbie. For me it was because I was unhappy where I was - even though the pay was OK and I held a supervisory position. It wasn't about the money - but more about job satisfaction and professional development. There are any number of personal and professional reasons someone may want to leave a full-time position in order to go self-employed / freelance. Oh, and of course, subbies can't do anything except demolish trees for domestic clients. Low blow, Paul. Low blow. The 'what is a subbie, what isn't a subbie' thing is hugely difficult and, potentially, problematic. I do think this area needs a huge overhaul, as it's tricky to fully underatand where one sits legally with regard to tax payments and health and safety arrangements. I have used to HMRC CEST page and it cannot define what I am based on my inputs. It is a grey area, that will always prove tricky to deal with. I think, at best, we need to move away from the term 'subbie' unless discussing bone fide subcontractors that take on and complete a job from start to finish with full or near-full responsibility. Subbie climbers and grounsdman could simply be called 'freelance worker' or 'temporary worker'. There doesn't seem to be any semblance of balance in this article, and no indication that there are, in fact, some bloody good freelance climbers out there. I know plenty, and have worked with plenty, and like to associate myself with fellow arborists that share my personal and professional ethical standards. I also know of subbies who fit the description Paul mentions. If an organisation feel compelled to employ the services of the latter over the former then that says more about the organisation than it does of the climber. Paul is correct here. An MSME has moral, legal and financial reasons to look after a subbie's welfare as much as they do a direct employee. I'm inclined to agree with the concept, but not the language used. '...weed out the parasites...' isn't polite, helpful or called for and simply highlights the contempt the author has for fellow workers. However, we should be looking to "...use the services of true experts," especially if we are to raise the profile of this struggling profession. With over ten years' worth of subbying under my belt I could write an article defending myself, and offer rebuttles to most of the author's points. I could explain how I come to site in a clean, white van, packed with gear, ready to take on whatever is asked of me. I often bring more kit with me that other subbies, because it benefits me greatly to have it. I don't charge any more for it. I often help maintain chainsaws of the company I am climbing for, when asked or needed. Once the climbing is done I will pack my kit away and help with any clearing up. I have no gaps on my HMRC record, and have my invoices backed up going back five or six years. All-in-all I feel this piece is unbalanced, unprofessional and unfair. It highlights the negative actions of some individuals, while disregarding the positive actions of others. It also fails to present arguements for people's individual freedoms, and reasons for undertaking freelance work. I feel the AA should have paid more attention to being impartial, and should have questioned the need for an article to be writen with an inflamatory tone and use such provocative language.

Hi west_climbs Don't sweat it. When I did my climbing assessment in '98 I just couldn't figure out how to do one of the rescues, and relied on my casualty whispering the stages to me. You're brand new to the scenario, so take it as a learning point, and maybe keep in mind that it might be something you need to work on in the future. Good luck.

Hello everyone I'm a new, old member - I had an Arbtalk account for a number of years but I found that I wasn't using it all that much. My interest and passion in tree work had waned. However, recently I moved into a more professional role and also taken on a number of voluntary roles that have reignited my passion for trees and tree care. So with that in mind I have set up a new account! Cheers Matthew