Hi Vis, who complies?

[swyman]

Been wanting to ask this for a few weeks but reading the April Tree Care Industry magazine there is an article titled "Chipper safety in ground operations". Now we all know the rules that ground personnel are to wear hi-vis shirt or vest correct? On the first page of the article the worker next to the chipper by the LZ is looking up at the bucket operator wearing blue overalls! I myself found that a little funny. I have not required my groundies to wear it yet,poking into getting the t-shirts make with my name on it but was just wondering who doing mainly residential work is complying with the law? Even in the posts on this site I have not noticed it, only ones I have seen is Wright Tree doing line work in town. Should I just keep going like I am or would it be better to go hi-vis?

 

[KenJax Tree]

Been wanting to ask this for a few weeks but reading the April Tree Care Industry magazine there is an article titled "Chipper safety in ground operations". Now we all know the rules that ground personnel are to wear hi-vis shirt or vest correct? On the first page of the article the worker next to the chipper by the LZ is looking up at the bucket operator wearing blue overalls! I myself found that a little funny. I have not required my groundies to wear it yet,poking into getting the t-shirts make with my name on it but was just wondering who doing mainly residential work is complying with the law? Even in the posts on this site I have not noticed it, only ones I have seen is Wright Tree doing line work in town. Should I just keep going like I am or would it be better to go hi-vis?

The only time we wear it is if we are working along a busy road.

 

[adronetree]

Hmm

Kenjax I started doing it awhile back. The Dot made us wear it but then I noticed homeowners like it. Looks a little more professional I think. If you wanna get really fancy try ordering some of the stuff on this link.
Its the best damn work clothing I have ever seen before. Gore Tex windproof, warm or serious cold, tough as hell etc..
I havent ever seen anything like it in the US. Its like mountaineering gear for working men. Great quality. It sucks we dont have stuff like this in the Us easily available.
I'm sure you could order it. Or let me know if I can help you with it. They have stores right down the street.

High visibility / synbarhet / Arbeidsklær / Univern AS - ARBEIDSKLÆR OG VERNEUTSTYR

 

[adronetree]

Hey

And heres a link to all their work clothes not just the High Vis. I have alot of this stuff already. I threw my Carharts away since then.

Arbeidsklær / Univern AS - ARBEIDSKLÆR OG VERNEUTSTYR

 

[swyman]

Best deal I have found so far is on tcia's web page, t shirts with reflective stripes are $10 each

 

[david miller]

we all wear them groundys, climbers the one with reflective strip down the arms dont know how good they work. we closed a lane last year with signs and cones and still almost had my arm torn off by a side mirror. driver in south fl are the worst

 

[Blakesmaster]

No reason not to. Hi vis shirts cost the same as regular ones. We wear them every day, on every job.

 

[sgreanbeans]

We have the T shirts with my logo on them and hi vise hard hats. Dont have the reflector strips tho, just the bright orange shirt, they fade tho, as I guess they all will.

 

[swyman]

Going to get a dozen ordered. It's time to step up. Have not been making my groundies wear hard hats either but I don't need any flags for OHSA to stop plus it's just the right thing to do. This business is dangerous enough and things happen. I have always worn full harness and hard hats so at least I will be leading by example! Just found it ironic for the magazine to have a article on ground safety in chipping operations and no one wearing hi-vis in the picture in the book. They are wearing it on the cover though.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

we all wear them groundys, climbers the one with reflective strip down the arms dont know how good they work. we closed a lane last year with signs and cones and still almost had my arm torn off by a side mirror. driver in south fl are the worst

The driver was probably to busy following a kid in a hoodie

On our jobs everyone wears bright orange T shirts or jackets and helmets.

 

[formationrx]

The only time we wear it is if we are working along a busy road.

me too...

 

[sgreanbeans]

Going to get a dozen ordered. It's time to step up. Have not been making my groundies wear hard hats either but I don't need any flags for OHSA to stop plus it's just the right thing to do. This business is dangerous enough and things happen. I have always worn full harness and hard hats so at least I will be leading by example! Just found it ironic for the magazine to have a article on ground safety in chipping operations and no one wearing hi-vis in the picture in the book. They are wearing it on the cover though.

Ya know, I wonder if they do that for the shot, on the cover of ArbClimber, as SOM pointed out, dude is not wearing proper PPE, but I am sure they knew that, did it for the shot? I dunno!

 

[david miller]

I think it more like they get off the boat and head straight to the DMV:msp_biggrin: but those shirt from centas are expensive. grey long sleeve with lime stripe are like 60$

 

[axetree]

everyone every job, i get my logo on them and cost me 10 a piece with the log, no reflective strip tho

 

[tree md]

 

[jefflovstrom]

Mi sabe todo!
Jeff

 

[imagineero]

My whole crew wears them, but not the reflective stripe type. As another poster mentioned, customers do like it even in residential work. All of our work is residential. Having a crew turn up all in uniform and clean cut does make an impression.

They're pretty strict on safety in aus though. We always have cones out on the street when loading trucks or chipping, cones on the sidewalk, signage saying 'tree work in progress', hardhats, steel cap boots, hearing protection etc. OSH has you for breakfast if you dont do all that kind of stuff. We do toolbox talks once or twice a week too, and have a formal written induction process for use of most of the gear (chipper, stump grinder etc) as well as written policies for fuel etc. Can be tiresome but sure does keep your butt covered. Workers comp isn't that pricey in aus at 7.89%, but if you have an incident and havent followed the above procedures then all your payments and good safety record count for nothing. Get prepared to put out a figure with at least 4 zeros after it after the investigation.

Shaun