# Does This Look Safe To You?



## .aspx (Oct 18, 2007)

Asplundh employee preparing for our "biblical" windstorm in Western Washington.


----------



## LarryTheCableGuy (Oct 18, 2007)

Only if the hardhat has a chinstrap.

:censored: 

.


----------



## joecool85 (Oct 18, 2007)

Maybe this is a dumb question, so excuse me for being new, but why didn't he just lower the bucket?


----------



## PA Plumber (Oct 18, 2007)

Is it unsafe because the fellow is not looking up enough?:greenchainsaw:


----------



## MuniciPAL (Oct 18, 2007)

wheres his fall arrest harness? 
this guy has a deathwish.


----------



## superfire (Oct 18, 2007)

*Black Bag Special*

this dumb sod is trying too be zipped in a body bag. the boom should be level with the work.


----------



## clearance (Oct 18, 2007)

joecool85 said:


> Maybe this is a dumb question, so excuse me for being new, but why didn't he just lower the bucket?



Maybe there is a powerline in the way.


----------



## BostonBull (Oct 18, 2007)

There is NO standard that says the bucket shoulod be level with work.

The only unsafe part I see is having the Wizz saw in the bucket with him. He has a body belt on, and its his perogative to hang out that far.

Still a dumb move but his choice!


----------



## clearance (Oct 18, 2007)

BostonBull said:


> There is NO standard that says the bucket shoulod be level with work.
> 
> The only unsafe part I see is having the Wizz saw in the bucket with him. He has a body belt on, and its his perogative to hang out that far.
> 
> Still a dumb move but his choice!



Nothing wrong with having the trim saw and a chain saw at the same time. What I do is put the blade part of the trim saw in the bucket, the opposite of the picture. Anyways, B.B. you have done utility work, I know, what about you other chaps? Armchair quarterbacks, or what? Ever worked beside the power?


----------



## Ekka (Oct 18, 2007)

I have the magic question you all over looked.  

Why is he bothering collar/target cutting a topped spar with zero foliage and branches/limbs?

Surely they aint leaving that!


----------



## clearance (Oct 18, 2007)

Ekka said:


> I have the magic question you all over looked.
> 
> Why is he bothering collar/target cutting a topped spar with zero foliage and branches/limbs?
> 
> Surely they aint leaving that!



Ekka, its Asplundh, its getting sawed down. Don't know exactly what he is doing at the exact point the picture is taken but he is cutting it down, probably cut off the branches first with the trim saw. Maybe he is leaving it for firewood.


----------



## OLD CHIPMONK (Oct 18, 2007)

Well at least he is wearing a back support device ! Still don't see a fall- arrest harness. No safety glasses. Which direction is that chunk headed ? Well a least he won't get sawdust in his bucket.


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Oct 18, 2007)

Perfectly safe. He's either limited by lines or just trying to reach all that he can without having to bother with a move and a handful of saw...fairly typical, unless you're _skerd_. :jawdrop:


----------



## booboo (Oct 20, 2007)

*Armchair QB'ing*

OK, I'll bite.

Typical for that type of work. I did exactly that countless times working for Big Orange. They were pretty strict on PPE in our area, though it did vary from crew to crew. There were guys that didn't wear safety glasses, ear protection, and didn't like fall arrest. The crews I was on didn't have a choice.

My guess is that he's using the saw to take off everything too big for the whizzer and it's getting chunked down. No other reason for it to be stripped like that, if there wasn't something below it to avoid then the top would have gone whole. As for repositioning the bucket, either there's an obstruction that would make it time consuming or he's just trying to get as much as possible from 1 spot. And the whizzer's got to go somewhere when you switch to the saw. I never liked having the blade around my ankles and feet in the bucket.

How's that for armchairing a single pic that we know nothing else about?!


----------



## Fuzly (Oct 20, 2007)

booboo said:


> How's that for armchairing a single pic that we know nothing else about?!



Pretty darn good:hmm3grin2orange: 

Very common to see the guys in the orange trucks clearing around lines for Wisconsin Public Service in my neck of the woods. As somebody who is leery of electricity and heights, I find the work fascinating in a scary sort of way.

And I would be "skerd" hanging out like that.


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Oct 20, 2007)

Also, he's most likely bracing with his legs and feet wherein he uses his feet against the backside wall to press or hold his legs and hips to the opposite side. With that he's not going anywhere.

Many times I need the reach where my bucket cannot go any lower for obstructions that are branches that I'm already putting pressure on. It can be a huge time and energy saver.


----------



## beowulf343 (Oct 20, 2007)

Too many of you guys seem to have no experience in the real world. Sure, it may look dangerous, but there are several reasons why it may be safer for him to cut that far below the bucket rather than level the bucket with the cut. Working around powerlines can often cut down on your positioning options. No big deal.


----------



## hornett22 (Oct 23, 2007)

*give the guy a break!*

he has both hands on the saw!


----------



## hornett22 (Oct 23, 2007)

*and he's wearing a helmet!*

aren't you guys ever happy?


----------



## Chainsaw_Sally (Oct 29, 2007)

*I can see my house from heeeeeer!*

Seriously, tool in the bucket is SOP here. You have to keep one with you incase you take too big a bite and drop something on the phases. Gotta knock 'er off somehow. Or train the trimmers right, but I digress....

What can be seen of the bucket resembles the 70 footer our company used to have. I have a hard time believing he can't get a 70 over the wires... 

The guys I work with have the bad habit of stretching when they should be moving the bucket. <<shrug>> I guess it's a macho thing.


----------



## polingspig (Oct 30, 2007)

*I would like to know....*

I was just wondering why all the branches below him have already been cut if he can't get the bucket down any farther?

I have also been trying to picture a scenario where the he wouldn't be able to lower the bucket at all because of an obstruction. I know that happens, but look at the angle of his boom. The truck would have to be outside the wires with the first pivot point behind him level with or lower than the lines. If that is true, I ask again: How did he get the branches below him?


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Oct 30, 2007)

Without anymore evidence it is useless to speculate any further other than to say in this industry, let nothing surprise you...one can get into any number of restrictive situations. 

Likewise, one can find themselves in the habit of reaching everything that they can per bucket move. It's quicker to bend down and reach out a little further while you are out there, than to micro move the bucket two or three times as much like it's your first day on the job. 

The bottom line is that he is perfectly safe in that position.


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Oct 30, 2007)

I don't have much bucket work under my belt, I'm in one maybe once a month, if that.

Looking at the stubs below, he had to have been able to position the bucket to get those cuts in, working up the pole.

My assumption is that he was lazy and did not want to move for one last cut.

Production above all else, you cannot waste 30 seconds being a little bit safer.

If that is "safe" SOP, IMO it is pushing the envelope.


----------



## Tekko (Oct 30, 2007)

Stupid idiot i say! I´d never do that, i can barely look down from a step ladder without trembling, making the ladder rattle.


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Oct 30, 2007)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> I don't have much bucket work under my belt, I'm in one maybe once a month, if that.
> 
> Looking at the stubs below, he had to have been able to position the bucket to get those cuts in, working up the pole.
> 
> ...



Do you drive with both hands on the wheel...10 and 2?


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Oct 31, 2007)

Bigus Termitius said:


> Do you drive with both hands on the wheel...10 and 2?



Spurious argument, the risk is not as great. Though in heavy traffic, and foul weather I most certainly do drive like that.

If he can bump the bucket down a few feet it is better on his body and on his overall risk profile.

Pushing the boundaries on occasion is not a bad thing, but for it to be SOP is flirtin' with disaster.

My stance on this site is not complete Z133 compliance, but an awareness of ones habits and how often one introduces unnecessary risk into the daily routine.

If you have a scenario where you cannot complete the job safely without doing this, then the brief exposure to risk is ok. I am not putting it on the same level as standing on the lip of the bucket.

If you have one or two cuts like this to do to avoid resetting the truck, most of us would lean out.

IMO to lean like this to avoid moving the boom is silly, it is unsafe and uncomfortable. "ow, my back did not like that!"


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Oct 31, 2007)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> *Spurious argument, the risk is not as great.* Though in heavy traffic, and foul weather I most certainly do drive like that.



How do you figure? Have you been in traffic lately? 

Our perception due to the comfort of redundant routine leads us to believe that two vehicles with a closing speed of up to 140+ mph that manage to just miss each other, even "x" amount of times in "light traffic" is something to caress the wheel about. Yet some people won't fly even though it is still one of the safest ways to travel.



> If he can bump the bucket down a few feet it is better on his body and on his overall risk profile.



Perhaps, if he has a bad back, but I'll bet he's used to it and looks to be in good physical condition.



> Pushing the boundaries on occasion is not a bad thing, but for it to be SOP is flirtin' with disaster.



In my opinion, we flirt with greater disaster when we step into traffic, for example. He's just leaning out a little and he's doubtlessly secured with belt and leg pressure. Still, no one wants to flop out anyway. In that line of work, no pun intended, He's used to reaching out of the bucket due to many restrictions and if you ask him about this as flirting with disaster, he'll laugh. His risk profile is off the charts daily...leaning a bit out the old bucket is hardly in league with the rest of his day.




> My stance on this site is not complete Z133 compliance, but an awareness of ones habits and how often one introduces unnecessary risk into the daily routine.



For one, if you are in such practice, it probably is safer as a result. However, if this isn't a habit, then the risk factor has the potential to be greater for lack of experience, familiarity, and/or physical fitness. "How often" isn't always a factor, and is in no wise alone in calculating risk, or compound risk probability.

For example, if you've been running a chainsaw with knowledge and skill everyday for years accident free, it doesn't mean that your odds increase every day that you'll have a mishap. There are many factors and the probability is relative to such.

In contrast, HO buys a chainsaw, cause he's sick of getting "ripped off" by tree people.  He is an engineer, (that means he's smart) and reads the direction and warnings before firing up the new poulan to drop that old oak out back of the new property. opcorn: 

Whose risk profile is greater?

Oh and _unnecessary risk_ is somewhat of a relative term in certain context.



> If you have a scenario where you cannot complete the job safely without doing this, then the brief exposure to risk is ok. I am not putting it on the same level as standing on the lip of the bucket.



Naturally, now if he was really hotdoggin and had one foot out of the bucket and one hand on the saw while waving with the other, then I'd say something altogether different. But he appears to be a professional risk profile analyst and a pretty good operator too.  



> If you have one or two cuts like this to do to avoid resetting the truck, most of us would lean out.
> 
> IMO to lean like this to avoid moving the boom is silly, it is unsafe and uncomfortable. "ow, my back did not like that!"



Silly to some, quicker to others. Some would say moving the boom 3 times as much is silly, while others say safer.

Nevertheless, you won't catch me leaning out like that all day either, but I'll reach everything that I can before moving and often I'm well out of the bucket…..well, in the morning anways.


----------



## extremewoodwork (Oct 31, 2007)

*Whatever the point is*



Bigus Termitius said:


> Do you drive with both hands on the wheel...10 and 2?



I dont know the point in leaving that stub to begin with or the point in cutting it off later for that matter. I do know that instead of leaning out of a bucket with restricted movement I personally would have used the pole saw for that particular limb. Oh yeah and No it does not look safe.


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Nov 1, 2007)

extremewoodwork said:


> *I dont know the point in leaving that stub to begin with or the point in cutting it off later for that matter.* I do know that instead of leaning out of a bucket with restricted movement I personally would have used the pole saw for that particular limb. Oh yeah and No it does not look safe.



Good point...lol...but besides the point. I think he's a perfectionist.

Obviously his movement is not as restricted as others. And yeah, given the option, I'd have used the polesaw.


Alot of things look safe and aren't, and other things look dangerous and aren't. He's safer than it looks, though I'm sure his mom/wife/girlfriend would not feel very good about it.


The defense rests. Hang him high at noon boys...doesn't matter to me, I'll be on my lunch break. :jester:


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Nov 1, 2007)

Bigus Termitius said:


> Good point...lol...but besides the point. I think he's a perfectionist.



I think he was cutting his scarf to push the top off


----------



## Bigus Termitius (Nov 1, 2007)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> I think he was cutting his scarf to push the top off



I can see why at first glance it might appear that way. I had to zoom in to be sure. At this magnification it's clear that he's going for the one stob.


----------



## Bermie (Nov 2, 2007)

He is at full extension of his upper body and arms...it sure doesn't LOOK safe.
I know it can't FEEL particularly good on the lower back and shoulders...

But we can't see if he has a fall arrest harness on, we can't see if there is an obstruction for the bucket or boom...so several factors to the equation are missing. Plus or minus either way would determine overall 'safeness'

I don't like the way it LOOKS, which was the title to this thread!!!


----------



## Industry (Nov 2, 2007)

The way things LOOK from the ground may be vastly different than they do from my bucket 3 feet from Primary. I also tend to remove all stubs like that. I have seen them wreak havoc with branches, etc. when they hang up or bounce off the stub. One of the guys who works for the company I do didn't flush a stub one day and had a pine limb bounce off of it and land across 3 phase. 3 pretty blue flashes later, power is out to 15,000+ people.


----------



## Timbersports (Nov 20, 2007)

Both hands on the saw, can't beat that...


----------



## JimL (Nov 21, 2007)

my opinion, His hoses are toward his back, on our booms they come out the front of the bucket, if thats the case with him he could have the boom flipped over, lower boom down all the way and swing under the wire. Think of a backwards L. He may not be able to lower himself anymore. Ive reached like hell before working a stacked 3 phase to get everything. Though I would think he might be able to lower his upper boom to the back side of the tree and get to it easier, maybe not.. 

I keep both my feet on the bottom of the bucket/sawdust though, his might be, never know the guy might be 6'4" tall.


----------



## JimL (Nov 21, 2007)

on second thought, scratch what I just wrote, the step one the side of the bucket is toward his back so he isn't flipped over..


----------

