Tree Crew with Almost No Safety Gear

[Paul Bunions]

I have a crew in my yard taking down some dangerous oaks in time for hurricane season.

I notice there isn't much in the way of protective gear. The guy up on the crane has a hard hat, but no one else does. I haven't seen any ear protection. The crane guy has some kind of gaiter covering his head, but everyone else is just breathing dust. No chaps anywhere.

Is that normal? Do people get so tired of putting stuff on, they just quit? I would have thought professionals would be extremely careful since they do this stuff day after day.

I'm a little concerned because one of their cranes is unavailable because of a missing part. I'm afraid I'm paying for their A game and getting their B game.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Well... all I can say is I've seen it, but don't do it. They should be wearing all applicable ppe, helmets, hearing protection, chaps, etc. Lot of guys don't bother with wearing because it's too hot, heavy, etc.

 

[Paul Bunions]

The guy on the crane has a helmet, but the people the trees could fall on do not. That's kind of weird. I was nervous 150 feet away from that crane.

It's hard for me to believe anyone would run a chainsaw every day with no ear protection.

The crane guy is cutting the trees in one cut. They limb the tree, and then he takes the trunk down in sections. When he cuts a section, he just cuts with one hand and pushes with another. When it falls, the side away from him splits off, and the log swings from it until the split part breaks. I would do a cut on the far side first to prevent that from happening.

 

[Del_]

The guy on the crane has a helmet, but the people the trees could fall on do not. That's kind of weird. I was nervous 150 feet away from that crane.

It's hard for me to believe anyone would run a chainsaw every day with no ear protection.

The crane guy is cutting the trees in one cut. They limb the tree, and then he takes the trunk down in sections. When he cuts a section, he just cuts with one hand and pushes with another. When it falls, the side away from him splits off, and the log swings from it until the split part breaks. I would do a cut on the far side first to prevent that from happening.

Where is the 'crane guy' tied in?

...and where was your camera?

 

[Colonel428]

Most tree companies around here don't have a crane. Some have bucket trucks but no dedicated crane. They hire out the crane work when they need it. My guess is the crane guy is independent of the tree service and wears a helmet as he should and is probably required by OSHA to do. Every reputable tree service I know of here requires employees to wear helmets at all times on the job site. For safety and because it's a bad look for customers to see them without one...

 

[cookies]

I see it all the time here in florida, the smarter ones use ear protection but its just soo hot june-october and you must cover your legs with sawyer pants and boots to avoid some really nasty bugs like the jiggers most have no idea even exist here. There are lots of contract climbers here and a few companies that run cranes/buckets/lifts with a ground crew. I'd video them some just for your records in the off chance something happens with the jobs.

 

[Sidecarflip]

I have a crew in my yard taking down some dangerous oaks in time for hurricane season.

I notice there isn't much in the way of protective gear. The guy up on the crane has a hard hat, but no one else does. I haven't seen any ear protection. The crane guy has some kind of gaiter covering his head, but everyone else is just breathing dust. No chaps anywhere.

Is that normal? Do people get so tired of putting stuff on, they just quit? I would have thought professionals would be extremely careful since they do this stuff day after day.

I'm a little concerned because one of their cranes is unavailable because of a missing part. I'm afraid I'm paying for their A game and getting their B game.

Are they insured, all I'd worry about, the rest is really none of your business. Quit being a busy body and mind your own business. A or B game isn't your concern anyway. So long as they have liability insurance and you confirm that, that is all that is important to you. How they operate and what PPE they wear is none of your business.

 

[LuDookie]

Are they insured, all I'd worry about, the rest is really none of your business. Quit being a busy body and mind your own business. A or B game isn't your concern anyway. So long as they have liability insurance and you confirm that, that is all that is important to you. How they operate and what PPE they wear is none of your business.

Yeah, I just worry about keeping myself and loved-ones safe. Long as I’m not responsible, fools can do whatever they want. There are plenty of times I decide to, or not to wear certain PPE.

 

[Paul Bunions]

Are they insured, all I'd worry about, the rest is really none of your business. Quit being a busy body and mind your own business. A or B game isn't your concern anyway. So long as they have liability insurance and you confirm that, that is all that is important to you. How they operate and what PPE they wear is none of your business.

Somebody seems cranky today.

Of course it's my business whether they're doing their best. They're being paid for their time. Slow work is expensive work.

How is asking a question on a forum "being a busy body"?

Liability insurance doesn't help injured workers. Worker's comp. takes care of that. I had them send proof of insurance before they started.

I don't care if they wear PPE or not. They can cut the trees naked if they want. I just wondered how common their behavior is.

As for the crane, the company has two of them, and they have the company logo on them. The guy in the bucket is tied to it.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Not cranky at all. In fact I have my tree service here cutting out storm damage and chipping it and the owner is in the bucket in a Tee shirt and pants and that is it.

 

[LuDookie]

Often, quicker, better work is performed by those not hypnotized and drowning in the modern safety culture.

I wear PPE often in order to keep myself safe. I’m responsible for my hospital bills if I hurt myself on someone’s property, cutting trees. If you are responsible for your own hospital bills, you can wear flip flops while climbing for all I care.

The liberal concept that people aren’t accountable and responsible for themselves, has bred the new safety culture. It hasn’t created a more efficient or yielded higher quality in any industry.

 

[bsmith717]

I really don’t care what one person or the other uses to protect themselves as long as it’s not associated with me in any way.

But the other week there were these four guys working on a wall in a neighbors yard behind my home. These guys were dry cutting concrete with a chop saw and didn’t even have a wet rag over their mouths. Like I said I don’t normally give a flying f but damn. I went inside and grabbed some paper face masks from the pandemic and handed them what I had. Blew my mind, sitting in a cloud of concrete dust like it’s good for you

 

[Mad Professor]

 

[lone wolf]

Not cranky at all. In fact I have my tree service here cutting out storm damage and chipping it and the owner is in the bucket in a Tee shirt and pants and that is it.

No fall arrest harness is a mistake for sure.

 

[echomeister]

my guess is it's just too damn hot to wear PPE in Fla summer. Sure you should wear it but I can see weighting that against a heat stroke.

 

[Oletrapper]

Somebody seems cranky today.

Of course it's my business whether they're doing their best. They're being paid for their time. Slow work is expensive work.

How is asking a question on a forum "being a busy body"?

Liability insurance doesn't help injured workers. Worker's comp. takes care of that. I had them send proof of insurance before they started.

I don't care if they wear PPE or not. They can cut the trees naked if they want. I just wondered how common their behavior is.

As for the crane, the company has two of them, and they have the company logo on them. The guy in the bucket is tied to it.

That's not a crane. This is a crane.

And this a bucket truck.

jmho OT

 

[Jim Colton]

View attachment 1187444

You know the stupid people don't read or heed the warning labels. You do know that don't you?

 

[Jed1124]

I don't care if they wear PPE or not. They can cut the trees naked if they want. I just wondered how common their behavior is.

It's only common for hack companies. Any professional outfit insists that their crew members wear required PPE at all times.

 

[Paul Bunions]

That's not a crane. This is a crane.

And this a bucket truck.

jmho OT

Stick with me here. They had a crane and a bucket.

 

[Mad Professor]

You know the stupid people don't read or heed the warning labels. You do know that don't you?

Social Darwinism.