Been made safety man.......

[clearance]

Stihl-I saw that too, volunteer work, yeah right, they are getting well paid. If Ont. Hydro is anything like B.C. Hydro those guys are on the gravy train. No offence at all meant to hydro guys but you can't help but notice what they do over the years. Typical day, go to the hydro yard at 8 and get your line truck, drive to a restaurant and have breakfast, b.s. for a while. Drive to the jobs, b.s. again, do some work, head back to the yard at 3, park the truck. "boy that was a rough one" People used to ask if we worked for the Hydro, "kind of, ma'am, sir, we are a private company, if Hydro did thier own trees your power bill would be double" You just got me going there, We made a helicopter landing pad for them out in the bush one time, we had to jump out of the helicopter right into a swamp. No hydro guy would ever do something like that, the ugly stuff is for the hired hands. That is a pretty cool show though, those guys are energized at like 500 or 750kv.

 

[stihlatit]

Stihl-I saw that too, volunteer work, yeah right, they are getting well paid. If Ont. Hydro is anything like B.C. Hydro those guys are on the gravy train. No offence at all meant to hydro guys but you can't help but notice what they do over the years. Typical day, go to the hydro yard at 8 and get your line truck, drive to a restaurant and have breakfast, b.s. for a while. Drive to the jobs, b.s. again, do some work, head back to the yard at 3, park the truck. "boy that was a rough one" People used to ask if we worked for the Hydro, "kind of, ma'am, sir, we are a private company, if Hydro did thier own trees your power bill would be double" You just got me going there, We made a helicopter landing pad for them out in the bush one time, we had to jump out of the helicopter right into a swamp. No hydro guy would ever do something like that, the ugly stuff is for the hired hands. That is a pretty cool show though, those guys are energized at like 500 or 750kv.

Yes they got paid well read back I said volunteer not mandatory that they have to do it. I mean they can say no and not get fired.
Arnie

 

[jmack]

osha

Wow - we need a safety guy here to clear up this thread so we don't get a "ooh yeah we'll meet me here or there and I'll use my spikes on your head"!(LOL) anyway thanks so far on the safety posts- I've put in that i want to learn to nonspike climb one day but at this time we spike any tree we have to climb. Never had an issue yet- I have just got our supervisor to let me order a porta wrap and pulley (no one has used one in our company before) so we can atleast do the nicer yards without putting holes everywhere- so i'd say thats step one. But he also worries about time consuming with it.
Other than that I saw a OSHA book today that I'm gonna start going through finding job related issues to start with.
TREE MACHINE: I'm sure I'll have to work all that in slowly but it will come! (I hope)!
Yeah we got nailed by OSHA not to long ago and hurt the crews involved bonus but that was all. I think they were around $10,000 but got reduced alittle. We had a 2nd time no hard hat, no leg chaps and a no monkey suit (harness) in the bucket -fine. So It really pissed or supervisor off and the thing is the same crew still does this!

hi rygel i didnt read this post yet, i was getting into guys who dont climb around high voltage telling others how to do it, any way your company really did need a safety rep. hardhat full body in the bucket.. this a candy treat for even the greenest osha rep. they know you now and they are watching because you guys are easy money. tcia has all the safety stuff you need to get started i just joined and got a box of stuff on safety, pm me and i will give you some more resources.

 

[Tree Machine]

I'm not a hydro guy by any stretch, but I find your stuff absolutely fascinating.

 

[Rygel]

First meeting went really good! I done it on cold weather protection. It was a start and very basic as i get more and more info. I got the OSHA and the ANSI (to include) full tree trimmer certification. So i have alot to go with now.
If i would of went with what the "main" company wanted it would of started some problems do it being on violent workers. We had a big falling out last week where a foreman threw a groundsman's hard hat at him because he was'nt wearing it and also said a few choice words. I could see where maybe the groundsman needed "positive" reinforcement as to wear it but definitely in a different way. So now the groundsman has been moved to my truck. In all this I didn't want to start a meeting off with a subject that would make the guys think the idea was due to that.
Now i guess its gonna fall into my lap as what to do about this.So i can kinda see "liability" in my part!LOL
Anyway it went good and i didn't get to many "brown-nosing" or "company man" remarks from the guys.

 

[clearance]

Good, look up and live.

 

[Jumper]

Having been a safety officer at many locations over the years, good luck.

 

[TackleTree]

I know i am a little late to the discussion but an easy way to start out is by looking at the past. What has happened in the company to employees. What were the injuries and why did they happen. Try to see if there is a pattern to the incidents. For instance PPE ( personal protective equipment) Hard hat, hearing protection, boots etc. Also fall protection. Look at the loss time and work comp claims. concentrating on the things that are what osha calls imminent danger is also a start. Meaning some one is going to die now if not corrected. You are on the right track by reading the CFR's published by OSHA. The only thing is that some things are vauge and up to your interpretation. Also you can try to find a saftey person who has been doing it for a while and pick his brain. Most safety pro's are willing to help one another when it comes to the health of employees. One more thing everyone seems to want to focus on obvoius things dealing with safety like death but there is so much more little things that usally lead up to this. But look into ergonomics and cumulative trauma disorders. White knuckle syndrom ie, Also low back injuries, foot problems neck, shoulders etc. Hope this has been informative but i am willing to try and clear some stuff up. I can't however be more specific to the field of tree and utility work. That's why i recommended a safety professional in the same line of work.

 

[Tree Machine]

Nicely said, Tackle, and welcome to Arboristsite.

I have a sort-of related question. Who buys the PPE...? Employee or Employer.

I provide 100% of all PPE for my employees, but do all company's owners do that, or does the employee want true ownership and choice of the gear ,,, I'm just curious.

 

[Rygel]

So far everything is going good with this. Starting to get some things going where the supervisor is ordering and fixing things long over due!
As far as I know the company is to supply everything in the PPE area. But what we keep running into is things like the same person needing new safety glasses every other day. Should there be a shut off for this? it does get expensive supplying a $3 pair to one certain or a few certain guys 1-2 times a week! Also what about if they keep allowing there saw pants to get soaked in oil? do you force them to still wear them?maybe make them clean them?
just a few questions I've been pondering.

 

[TackleTree]

PPE is always a " FUN" thing to deal with. But as far as who buys it. I say you provide everything but clothing, boots, chaps. If there is a problem with abusing certain items then hit them where it hurts $$$$$. Allow them x amount per week then when it comes Mr. Irresponsible not having such PPE charge him and make him where them. Watch how quickly the trend changes. You can't not give him PPE because then something may happen and guess who will be responsible. Some just don't get/care that it costs the company money. But The most important thing a safety man can do is CYA. Always have a paper trail showing every training session, recordables, near misses, corrective actions taken, warnings, suspensions, etc... So to start out when you have a safety meeting big or small take a group picture and have them sign an attendence sheet. That when if something happens then you can say that they were trained. Another good idea that never goes over well with the employees is a short quiz say 10 questions covering the most important part of the meeting. We all hate to take tests! So once again some more info hope it helps

 

[clearance]

Hi Tackletree, Rygel this guy is onto some good stuff. As far a glasses, why not go to screens on hardhats, hard to lose. As far as oil on your pants, chaps wtf?, bfd. Never been a problem for me and I have spilled a lot over the years.

 

[BigJohn]

I guess that is better than being made the pivot man good luck with that.

 

[Rygel]

i would guess you are refering to "man in the barrel"? Sorry iom really druink. Which isnt normal fo rme bu tmy life is at a point to as i dont know what to do. hope i fell vetter in ther morning or tomorrow will bhe hell.

 

[Tree Machine]

Hang in there, Rygel. We're fellow treeguys, but we can be counselors, probation officers, etc.

You be OK, OK?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

This is a pure safety question:

If you were in a tree and spiked in, supposing there were an accident where a limb was cut, hit the wires and energized the tree, would the current not follow the path of least resistance? I see this path as being up through the spikes, into your legs, through your balls and into your heart. I reckon this could happen with straight rubber-soled boots and these rubber-palmed gloves we use, but I'm just curious...? Maybe the current would go down the tree straight to ground and not bother you....? I really don't know.

Well, I'm not a tree guy, but I do know electricity. Here's your (long overdue) answer:

No, the spikes aren't going to make much difference. Electricity needs a complete path, or it does nothing. It won't just just flow "up through the spikes, ....and into your heart", it's gotta have somewhere else to go. It flows from a place of high electrical potential to low electrical potential. Rather, lowER electrical potential. It doesn't have to be ground, just lower. Think of it like water - it flows downhill.

If a complete path happens to be from one hand, across your chest, and out through the other hand, well, it will get your attention. (BTDT) But if you are not connected to anything, you can theoretically grab a 250 kV line with no ill effects.

Of course, being "not connected" is pretty hard to do when you are dealing with high voltage, since it will jump some pretty big gaps. Grab a 250kV line and it WILL find a way to connect to SOMETHING through you.

Be careful around that stuff!