SafeTree

Fiona’s blog – last chance to do our survey

The Forest Industry Safety Council and Safetree are running a survey to get a stocktake of views from people involved in forestry.

We’re keen to get as many views as possible so we’ve extended the closing date for the survey to 5pm Sunday 4th November.

The survey covers things like leadership, worker engagement and risk management. The results will tell us what you think about what’s helping and hindering health and safety in forestry. It will also help us evaluate the work done by FISC and Safetree to date, and help shape the future work programme.

The survey is being run by a third party called Ubiquity, so individual responses are confidential and won’t be seen by us. Only aggregated responses will be reported. It will take about 10 minutes.

Click to do the survey

Tree falling safety alert from Canada

This following alert has been sent out by the British Columbia Safety Council in Canada:

On October 6th, 2018 a faller was fatally injured when he was struck by a tree. This incident happened in the Columbia Valley region of BC. This incident is still under investigation and details are still to be determined. But in the meantime, please review the following safety information:

1. Recent falling fatalities have shown a trend of danger trees or pieces of them coming back and hitting fallers. Avoid brushing standing timber when falling and always fall your danger trees progressively with your falling face to avoid this.
2. Overhead hazards and rot indicators can be difficult to see. Take the time to do an assessment of each tree and look for hazards like limb tied trees and dead tops.
3. Most falling incidents happen within 10 feet of the stump. When the tree starts to fall, move away on your escape path and get out of this high hazard zone. Always have a good escape route, with cover where possible.
4. Many falling incidents are the result of chain reactions. The tree being felled can cause unexpected movement in nearby trees, logs, rootwads or rocks. As part of the hazard assessment, anticipate what chain reactions may occur.
5. Best practices for falling include having two, cleared escape trails and to always watch the danger tree or hazards while falling.

See the full alert

See safety tips from seven Canadian fallers who together have 280 years of experience

Tailgate topic – Machine maintenance

Keeping machines well maintained helps make sure the work goes smoothly and safely. Here are some reminders on good maintenance practices taken from our Tailgate Talking Topics cards.

Do maintenance work in a safe area

• Choose flat and stable ground away from where forestry work is going on.
• Make sure maintenance people visiting the site are inducted and have the right personal protective equipment.
• Plan to manage any risks the maintenance work creates, eg, welding, working at height.

Only qualified people can do the maintenance

• Only do maintenance work if you have the right training.
• Work with the correct tools.
• Check the manufacturer’s manual so maintenance is done to their specifications.

Use ‘safe systems of work’ during maintenance

• Use the correct shut-down/lock out/de-energise procedures.
• Use the correct blocking or supports for the machines.
• Make sure your controls for risks – eg, working at height or working alone – are in place and working well.

See all the Tailgate Talking Topic cards