How strict are health & Safety in your Country?

[inmanator]

In England to use a chainsaw in a tree you MUST! wear type C chainsaw trousers with all round protection, Chainsaw boots, helmet, ear defenders and visor or CE marked safety glasses. Gloves are optional up a tree but to start the saw on the ground to warm it up gloves must be worn! Obviously some people dont bother with the above but if Heath & Safety caught you on a site visit you would be in big trouble. If the sticker on your chainsaw telling you to wear Ear defenders drops off technically you are not allowed to use the saw until the sticker has been replaced!!! Are other Countries like this or are England Health & Safety crazy...

 

[senechal]

It goes a little beyond that in Canada. Visor is not a substitute for stamped ANSI glasses, full wrap saw pants or chaps, gloves, steel toe and shank boots, minimum 27db hearing protection, and an ANSI C,D, or E hardhat.
You must be licensed to operate a saw as well.
Beyond PPE, there's regs everywhere in the arborist world. 5000lbs/23kn climbing system minimum breaking strength, 6000lbs on ropes, minimum two tie in points whenever operating a saw while climbing, etc. Then the regs involving a policy and procedures manual, mandatory documentation of site to site risk assessments and tailboard sheets, traffic management measures and all that fun stuff.
There's an 80 page manual in our truck with regulations on everything from how to properly start a saw to required documentation showing staff members have signed off on training for each particular piece of equipment.
This is only the beginning of what is to come from what I gather. Enforcement is lax currently, but for all the hacks in town that will forever avoid the stings, I just assume do the right thing as more experienced and educated arborists have suggested as industry standards.

 

[Slvrmple72]

ANSI stateside is only recommended guidelines and some outfits run more carefully than others. OSHA can and will fine employers for not maintaining equipment safety and safe work conditions but I see a lot of smaller operations flying under the radar so to speak. Not wearing PPE, Underinsured ( landscapers doing treework under landscapers policy coverage), not insured ( Hacks- with no insurance taking work from legitimate operators leaving customers liable for using there services). I have been doing tree care and removal as a part time business and this year I am taking a hiatus to focus on college and finish a Technology degree, that being said I have an incredible amount of respect for the full time professionals in the field of tree care who strive to keep there employees safe and maintain equipment with the necessary insurance and workmens comp. Anyhow, I wear contacts so I am always in safety glasses when I do any work, chaps on the ground, steel-toe workboots, helmet in the tree and two points of attachment when running a chainsaw in the tree, gloves are worn mostly for comfort. Safety takes top priority over production!

 

[newbym]

That all depends, are you above the board and completely legal? If so, then you're easy to go after and they're all over you. Or are you a hack and slash outfit with one english speaking foreman and 20 illegals from home depot? If the latter then you can do whatever you want, it's too much effort for OSHA to actually enforce the regulations on people that don't care about complying with any of the regs, just making the most money the fastest. Sorry if I sound a little jaded, it's just a pet peeve of mine :deadhorse: All these illegals and hacks are destroying the industry for those of us who actually care about proper tree care...

 

[senechal]

All these illegals and hacks are destroying the industry for those of us who actually care about proper tree care...

Well if the illegals can show up for work on time and stick around for a month or two, they've got a leg up on an awful lot of citizens.

 

[ronnyb]

I've never seen an OSHA official, or even heard of an OSHA visit in this area. Use common sense, I don't need that level of babysitting for my workers.

 

[newbym]

Well if the illegals can show up for work on time and stick around for a month or two, they've got a leg up on an awful lot of citizens.

Hey, I never said that there aren't plenty of ridiculously lazy dirt bags out there that think they're entitled to a 100k job just because they want one, no matter that they're stoned and can't get to work half the time. Believe me, I live in the poorest county in California where people consider collecting welfare a full-time profession. I just think that if I'm paying taxes, I should be the one getting the benefit of them (read: my gov. agencies who's wages I pay actually shut down the people working illegally)...

 

[Mark Currie]

It probably depends on what area of a particular country you are in as well (larger countries at least, where each state, province, etc. could have different standards). Here in New Brunswick, Canada, the rules say visor and/or approved safety glasses, which is a little different than Ontario.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/enla/healthandsafety/docs/ForestProfessional.pdf

That covers the Atlantic provinces and covers alot more than just chainsaw use as well, but it does give an idea of the safety regulations in this are of the world. It doesn't cover arboriculture work (in the tree), but the laws here say that if a chainsaw is used in the tree, the same safety equipment must be worn (boots, pants, hearing, eye, hat).

My uncle for one only wears jeans and sneakers (or boots, depending on weather and terrain) when he's cutting. He's been extremely lucky (and we keep remind him of that), in that he's never cut himself in 40 years. I keep telling him that it only has to happen once and that's it. He won't listen.. and how do you force a 60 year old man to wear proper safety equipment? For me, I cut myself when I was about 19 or so, about 2 inches below the knee. Somehow, the saw missed cutting through bone and I ended up with a 6 inch scar that stretches from one side of the leg to the other. It was a bad way to learn that lesson, but it could have been a lot worse.

Sorry to get off topic there for a bit, but I do know that we seem to borrow alot of safety standards from Europe, so chances are, we're not that far off from you in England.

Mark

 

[adam]

when I worked in Alberta (1999-2000) on powerlines, safety was treated seriously. I belive my company was under a contract with Altalink. It was not only mandatory PPE, but also strict policy requiering two climbers on the job at all times and other things. We had frequent inspections on the job without notice, white hardhat down the line was a sign of trouble coming our way. We had to perform aerial rescue on site, our equipment was inspected etc. Here in Toronto with all the rules and regulations (senechal's 80 page manual) I see same dudes with their junk equipment, protective b-caps and sneakers working year after year. One of my former bosses came one day with two guys wearing sandals and suits, telling me that this is my ground crew for the day (I don't know where they were from, they didn't speak english). Hacks are minority, but it took only two dark lords to destroy the Republic...

 

[Mitchell]

I know Ontario and toronto is "the engine that drives Canada"....

It goes a little beyond that in Canada. Visor is not a substitute for stamped ANSI glasses, full wrap saw pants or chaps, gloves, steel toe and shank boots, minimum 27db hearing protection, and an ANSI C,D, or E hardhat.
You must be licensed to operate a saw as well.
.

The regs are different out here on the left coast. The focus is on logging safety so the small arboricultur world seems to be left alone. When I was involved with forestry, budget cuts forced the inspectors to stop proactive inspections and only respond to incidents after the fact. There is talk of bringing tree services more in line with forest practices in so far as safety goes...

 

[UpNorth77]

I heard the laws were getting tighter in Ontario but have not seen the same thing here in Alberta (Canada). We work to ANSI standards but I am unclear who is responsible for the guidlines or laws in Canada?

 

[Bermie]

Here in Bermuda we have a Health and Safety at Work Act, but it has no teeth and there are only two inspectors, I know of only two jobs that got shut down until the crew put on PPE...in reality there are no standards governing tree work, anybody can get a saw, put a ladder up a tree and go to it. But I trained in the UK for Horticulture and Arb, so I work to industry best practice where possible...

Site specific risk assessments, climbing and rigging gear to CE/Loler standard, all PPE except chainsaw pants when its really hot. I make my crew wear helmets and hearing/eye protection, steel toes (if they are cutting) and long pants.
Also I teach Lantra/City &Guilds/NPTC so for that training, everything is to UK spec, everyone in full PPE, assessments to NPTC standard.
What they do after the fact is up to them, but at least they've been shown the proper way to do things.

There is talk of bringing in licensing, but its going to take time...the electricians and auto mechanics are first in line. We have no culture of sueing/litigation, so if something goes wrong you can get away with a lot!

When I went to the insurance agency for my public liability, I did not have to show one shred of evidence that I was qualified to carry out tree work, I got a million dollars worth of coverage for climbing, pruning,felling, teaching, all on my own say so , the only thing I am not covered for is hitting a power line!

 

[becks]

high standards in Germany as well.
medical check up every two years, stickers on the petrol cans saying whats in side. climbing gear has to be checked each year... .
OK, may be a little to much. but working safe; companies on the same level (more or less), will save our jobs/lives, leaving these gumboot specialists with no insurance behind.
I think its OK with the rules. it increases the professionality and professional companies which spended a lot of money in gear and training, should get the jobs!

 

[tree_beard]

u.k health and safety regs are enforced to very different degrees, depending on where you are in the country.

i know a fair few chainsawing cowboys, none of whom have ever had any contact with the health and safety executive.

by far the most dangerous and cowboy chainsaw users i have come across have been those employed by national and local govornment bodies. Highways agency, power + water companies, the environment agency...

if your idea of ppe is wellies, join our local council

 

[adam]

high standards in Germany as well.
medical check up every two years, stickers on the petrol cans saying whats in side. climbing gear has to be checked each year... .
OK, may be a little to much. but working safe; companies on the same level (more or less), will save our jobs/lives, leaving these gumboot specialists with no insurance behind.
I think its OK with the rules. it increases the professionality and professional companies which spended a lot of money in gear and training, should get the jobs!

those medical checkups...scary stuff for a guy over 50 with nothing but nicotine and caffeine in the blood, but I agree 100%, pros should get the jobs!