SOP for workers entering a drop zone

[John Paul Sanborn]

I was reading more in the I&F forum's struck-by thread. This thread is in responce to the posts relating to ground workers walking under the climber, assuming it was safe.

I work with several different crews and have started a policy of people sounding off with "Coming under!" to let the climber know. I've been doing it for several years and it has helped me work better. I still do not assume that I can crash stuff down with out looking around first, but it has stopped me on a handsaw backcut on several occasions.

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

Good start but many groundfolks just are not aware where they are at all times so most climbers yell out "HEADACHE" before they let something fly.

Regardless of what you use or say.....communication is key! Especially for those folks that are using a pole saw because alot of ground folks wear their ear protection all the time.

 

[rebelman]

Roger that. Pole saw work creates most close calls for me. I shut the chainsaw off, then reach way out or over to jerk a snag. Even without ear protection, some ground men don't realize the reach, and if I'm a little stressed, I don't warn them adequately. Got to stay aware of that. Good posts.

 

[alanarbor]

The command and response system works well, when it is utilized completely. Hollering "Stand Clear" then letting a piece fly without getting a response is only half the equation. you need positive acknoldegemtn from both parties.

A ground person entering the drop zone, should call "coming under" then wait for a positive response from the climber.

The biggest thing I observe daily is only one side calling out, and not waiting for that positive response before taking action. It seems to be a challenge to build 100% compliance with it.

 

[clearance]

Below and clear are the only words you need. After you hear "clear' let it rip, say "below" and don't let anything go again untill you hear "clear".

 

[Jumper]

Also suggest bright clothing on those below-bright orange T shirts are 3 for $10 here. I have always used "clear" from the ground myself.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The command and response system works well, when it is utilized completely.

Another addition I use on large crews is designating on man as captain, everyone else responds with "CLEAR" I wait for him to say "ALL CLEAR!".

It has to become part of the culture, some come along grudgingly, others make a game of it and have fun.

"Headache" I reserve for an uncontroled drop. It's coming off before I wanted it to, or it's heavier then I thought. In a Montey Python translation it would mean "Run Away!!"

 

[beowulf343]

Shouting at each other doesn't work too good if you are both wearing ear protection. You have to keep an eye on the ground at all times but more importantly, train your groundies to always keep an "eye on the sky." What works good for my crew is chainsaw revving. When I start my saw they will look up and see what I'm cutting. If it's just something like the first cut of my notch, they'll move under the tree. However, before I start the second cut, I'll rev my saw three times. They hear that rev and know I'm starting a "serious" cut that will bring something down. Before I start any "serious" cut, I'll rev three times and they know to move out from under the tree. Believe it or not, I've been doing this with my crew for over seven years and that sound gets ingrained in you. You hear it and know to pay attention. My groundmen even do it when they want my attention. We've gotten so intuned to it we can hear it over trucks, chippers, other saws, etc. (Of course doesn't work too good with handsaws, but then again you don't need hearing protection with them either.)

but many groundfolks just are not aware where they are at all times

Then it is time to find some different groundies.

 

[arboralliance]

Yep!

Below and clear are the only words you need. After you hear "clear' let it rip, say "below" and don't let anything go again untill you hear "clear".

Same as on the face of rock and the best "short but sweet"...

I say "UNDER" loud if going in under, climber crane etc...

Some guys laugh at me as I say "BELOW" on everything that decends from the tree from leaves to tiny dead wood and its a great habit to get into (no pun intended)...

I also call "BELOW" as I am uncliping anything or begining to work/cut anything as you never know what MIGHT happen...

I even call it for others if they forget, it rubs off even if you get funny looks but no-one ever disses you for it as they all know deep down it'll save a life one day...

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Many times our crew has a chipper roaring, chainsaws cutting, and everyone wearing hearing protection. Voice commands are useless and unprofessional.
I refuse to be in the position the poster at the I/F thread found himself in, feeling guilty because of a mental error made by the groundman. On my crew, each groundman is responsible for his own safety.
As climber, I'll try not to do surprise cuts, it's up to you to look up for an all clear signal. Hand signals indicate whether it's clear or not. If my chainsaw is in my hands, stay away.
A seasoned crew should almost never need voice commands.

 

[coydog]

Voice commands are useless and unprofessional.

I have to strongly disagree with you, what you describe is a sealed environment, in which evryone on the crew is in sync and there is no chance of a homeowner/ public entering the work zone etc.Many professionals don't have that luxury. if it's too noisy to hear, hand signals/eye contact can take over. I work in heavy pedestrian areas on a daily basis and it's absolutely essntial that our voice command SOP be followed everytime all the time.

 

[antigrassguy]

voice commands

I agree that hollering at each other is useless. As for myself Im not only going blind, bald, but the hearing aint what it used to be. Eye contact and hand signals are all we use mostly. For the ones that absolutely need the voice contact we have Motorola radios and ear buds, that fit nicely under ear muffs, with press to talk feature. Bellowing at each other over saws, chippers, pony motors, whatever only allows the person 6 houses away to wonder what all the hollering is about and they want to come look as well. If good eye contact isnt working, for that momentary brain fart, then twigs and small nubbins start to fall around their ears, and get larger, until eye contact or a glare happen. The head ground person, at the time, is in charge of clearing the drop zone of everyone before the big ones rain down and it is also their responsibility to keep it clear at all times. The first request to John Q public is nice, the second command to leave work area isnt very nice and if a third is needed its down right rude. Im not trying to make friends out there. As the person in the tree is responsible for initiating this eye contact as once the hearing protection goes on, when the job starts, it usually doesn't come off till job is done. Chainsaw, hand saw, pole saw included. If a saw is out clear the area. If it looks like they are not far enough back I tap my hard hat and they back up more. In a busy pedestrian environment some cones, signs and a couple well placed piles of brush usually work for blocking sidewalks ect. But dont ya love that one dumb a$$ that feels its their god given right to enter the area or drive over your cones. Thats a thread all to its own. People are like cows in that they dont like change.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I have to strongly disagree with you, what you describe is a sealed environment, in which everyone on the crew is in sync and there is no chance of a homeowner/ public entering the work zone etc.Many professionals don't have that luxury. if it's too noisy to hear, hand signals/eye contact can take over. I work in heavy pedestrian areas on a daily basis and it's absolutely essential that our voice command SOP be followed every time all the time.

In work areas where you might loose control of the drop zone, boundaries should be set up, and if need be, have personnel protecting them. Yelling is just ineffective in many cases.
Caution tape is cheap, you can even wrap it up and reuse it.
For example, if I'm going to drop a large limb a few feet in front of a doorway, I'll use hand signals to indicate I want a groundman to stand guard at the door until the limb is on the ground.
Trust me, a hand signal and point is much more effective and professional than screaming at the top of your lungs over the noise that is usually at an arborist's job site.

 

[SRT-Tech]

I like the "tap tap" on the helmet, very effective for communicating when up the tree. when on the ground and i need to immediatley tell the climber to "all stop", I use a hand "slashed" across the neck several times. Came in handy a few weeks back when i subcontracted myself for some groundwork....stupid pedestrian though it was his god given right to walk under the tree and ignored the 4 guys on the ground. I caught the climber's eye with the hand "slash" across the neck. He cut the saw, and braced the branch while JoeQ-MORON walked underneath and on his merry way. Climber let the branch drop a few minutes later.

 

[antigrassguy]

For the most part the hand signals we use are the same used for crane operators. Modified for one hand, as other is usaully holding something. Ya know this may be a good idea to get a standardized hand signals for tree workers. Anywhere ya go you could still "talk".

 

[antigrassguy]

Hand signals

I will try to communicate our hand signals through the written word
1. Arm raised, fist closed, is stop, two arms up with closed fists is stop NOW
2. Tap on hard hat is headache
3. For person in tree, point at branch tips and arc arm down to obstacle(wire, home, equipment. ect) = is this going to clear that. Must trust that persons judgment
For roping:
4. Arm out and elbow bent up with thumb and forefingers rubbing together =pull on rope easy or tip tie
5. Arm out and elbow bent up and pointer finger doing circles=pull on rope harder and faster
6. Arm out and elbow bent down and fingers rubbing= lower slow
7. Same as 6 only finger pointing down and going in circles= lower faster
For the faster responses the more animated the gesture the faster to do.
8. When using a butt hitch arm out and arc down to identify knot.
9. Both arms extended up in a Y shape =WTF!
More when I think of them

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i vote for 2 warning shots in the back of the head if someone walks under a drop. Mostly they need to always look up and you down.

We yell, but that can be blurred by noises and hearing protection. i'll leave chainsaw running, sometimes hung by sling if polesawing etc.

Another use for sling/krab sets when lots of noise etc. is to throw out like a penalty flag if someone goes to walk in kill zone.

 

[Jumper]

I refuse to be in the position the poster at the I/F thread found himself in, feeling guilty because of a mental error made by the groundman. On my crew, each groundman is responsible for his own safety.
As climber, I'll try not to do surprise cuts, it's up to you to look up for an all clear signal. Hand signals indicate whether it's clear or not. If my chainsaw is in my hands, stay away.

I somehow do not think your reasoning would hold up in a court of law. Its all about due diligence, and if the individual did not do everything in their power to indicate something was about to come crashing down, including a vocal or other audible warning(other than a saw), the repercussions could be considerable, and in favour of the person that was hit. I can see it now, "Judge I did not bother to shout, whistle whatever because Billy Bob would not hear me anyways" The climber is also most certainly responsible for the safety of his fellow workers just as the ground workers are for that of the climber, not exclusively so, but all on the hook none the less.

 

[Tree Machine]

All true, Jumper, yet guys still get hurt. Spidey, I lke the 'penalty flag' use of a sling. Antigrass, your hand signals are clear and intuitive.

I have been in continued followup with PELTOR for half a decade now with a few PPE ideas. One idea has already been incorporated, a design change on the electronic headsets, namely the Worktunes. It used to be the on-off/volume knob and the station tuner knob were identical and placed close together. The suggestion was having a small on-off / vol. knob down low (top of the jaw, bottom of the ear) and have a bigger knob, differently shaped right in the middle of the earcup.

PELTOR has a model called the ALERT system, which is earprotective headset and radio AND ambient noise attenuation. You can turn off all electronics for regular muffies, use just the radio or radio and noise attenuation, or no radio and just the attenuation feature. Actually, this should be called 'Ambient Listening Electronics'. Great stuff for the climber, doesn't help the ground staff a whole lot.

We could talk about PELTOR's ear protective communication headsets (PowerCom), but other than John Paul, I don't know anyone who has used them. They are exceedingly expensive in my opinion.

There are Bluetooth wireless communication headsets, even more expensive.

Then there are ear protective communication headsets made for SWAT, the military, ground mechanics at airports and fire and rescue, and rifle range, all designed for their particular environments. All by PELTOR.

I said, "Hey, we're a sizable industry, worldwide. Our noise and safety environment is unique and we need an electronic, ear-protective headset for treeguys and ground crews." I'm pressing for 25 dB, communication headsets, with radio that when you hit the cup-mounted push to talk, it cuts the radio to all other active headsets. Radio ON with the volume all the way down means no music, communication only. Turn the ON knob up further, if you wish, to bring the OPTIONAL music into the earcups. A push to talk click (I coined this, musicus interruptus) and ALL the team is alerted. With a soft, clear voice, specific instruction is transmitted.

Everyone is protected and connected. No one is yelling, flailing arms, bringing everyone to a halt so one person can be given instruction.

I've been campaigning for MusiCom for three years now. So many times the tree foreman needs to give precise, instant instruction over distance in the moment that the instruction is needed. Very difficult when a chipper is running, saws are wailing and there is distance between instructor and instructee. This com ability can prevent accidents and increase efficiency and team cohesion. The music is for morale.

I think MusiCom, if PELTOR can keep the price reasonable, would serve our industry well.


I love all the signals by antigrassguy, but the problem remains in actually getting the attention of the worker so that you can communicate by hand signal. If he's running the chipper or saw and is in his own little world, and you can't drop the limb until he looks up, ten seconds is a long time, 30 seconds is really annoying and a minute waiting for a man to glance up, you're throwing bark and sticks at him. Bad for morale, bad for safety. I think you all know what I mean.

 

[youknowwho]

I find that reving the saw in and eratic way works pretty good.