High risk of workplace accidents for tree surgeons unless precautions taken

Published on Dec 1

The dangers of working as a tree surgeon are numerous. There have been more than 350 workplace accidents involving tree surgeons in the last 3 years. The key causes of these accidents are from chainsaws, falls from height and workers being struck by falling timber / trees. There are hazards at almost every stage of a tree surgeon’s work so it is essential that precautions are taken to ensure safety.

The HSE Treework E-bulletin from June 2010 reported that there were four fatalities involving treework between January and June 2010. Two of these workplace accidents were in felling operations and two involved falls from trees during arboricultural work. The bulletin also commented on recent investigations where workers using chainsaws had not received sufficient training to be able to work with them safely.

Earlier this year, a tree surgeon was injured whilst up a tree near Winchester, after he got stuck in a fork of the tree. He hurt his hip and leg. A paramedic was hoisted up the tree in a harness in order to administer pain relief before the tree surgeon was lowered to the ground, with the assistance of a specialist rope rescue team, in order for him to be transported to the hospital.

This is just one of many recent incidents. A self-employed arborist was using a chain saw to cut the branches of a felled tree when he tripped and cut the tendons and artery in his arm. In another incident, a tree surgeon lacerated the back of his left leg whilst pruning a tree with a chainsaw. His employer had provided him with protective trousers which only had chainsaw protective material on the front of the legs and not the back.

Chainsaws have the potential to cause very serious injuries. The HSE suggests that most chainsaw injuries and fatal accidents happen when workers take shortcuts in order to save time. Sufficient training is also essential in order for workers to be able to operate dangerous and complicated machinery. Therefore, employers are responsible for ensuring best practice procedures are implemented and properly followed and that workers are trained up to use specific machinery.

The processing of felled trees and cut branches can also be dangerous. A worker operating a wood chipper used his foot to push branches into the chipper. His foot made contact with the blades and he suffered from lacerations which required skin grafts. The guard for the blade had been removed; his employer should have checked that the proper guards were in place, which would have reduced some of the damage caused.

Although working with trees can be extremely dangerous, the risk of workplace accidents can be significantly reduced if workers are trained and if proper procedures and best practice are implemented and enforced.