Preventing Tree Care Hazards
OSHA’s new infographic, “Solutions for Tree Care Hazards,” highlights common hazards in the tree care industry and provides tree cutting and trimming safety measures for employers and workers.
The document provides prevention tips for five key areas: traffic control, drop zones, chippers, aerial lifts, and power lines. When it comes to aerial lifts, the major causes of injuries and fatalities are falls, electrocutions, and equipment collapses or tip-overs.
When aerial lifts tip-over, it is often due to poor ground conditions or because the outriggers were not set up properly. No set of tree trimming and cutting safety guidelines can cover all possible scenarios, so when in doubt, DICA urges you to slow down, stop the process, and think it through.
During setup, look for impediments, depressions, voids, trenches, excavations, slopes, or signs of poor ground conditions that can lead to an unsafe situation. If found, correct the situation to a compacted and level surface, or do not set up. Ultimately the ground supports everything. It must be taken into consideration in every application. Outrigger pads should always be set-up on sufficiently compacted, drained, and level surfaces. All uneven ground should be leveled prior to the placement of any outrigger pad, or use appropriate cribbing to fill the gap.
DICA offers additional resources for safe setup tips. Check them out here: