SafeTree

Fiona’s blog

In forestry we work hard to keep people safe and well. But accidents can happen, and the nature of forestry work means these accidents can involve serious injuries.

That means it’s essential that forestry businesses have good emergency management procedures, and that everyone knows what to do to if someone does get hurt.

To support your emergency preparations, Safetree has created a Tailgate Meeting Card summarising key emergency management procedures. We’ve also created a video about first-aid training that is tailored to the particular circumstances of forestry.

Forestry operations often take place in remote areas, down long, rough access tracks. So, it can take a long time for an ambulance or even a helicopter to reach an injured worker. That means victims could be relying on their workmates to stabilise them and keep them alive till help arrives.

Share the card and video with your crews and teams and use them to support a discussion about your business’ emergency procedures and first aid training needs.

VIDEO: First-aid training to survive 

Forestry operates in a ‘hostile’ environment and the injuries that occur among workers can be very serious – that’s the view of David Baxendale, Anaesthetic Technician and co-founder of FACT First-Aid and CPR Training.

So, workers can benefit from learning additional first-aid techniques that can help them look after each other till help arrives, David says.

In this video, David teaches some of these techniques to a Gisborne-based Stubbs Contracting crew. This includes how to deal with injuries like chainsaw lacerations in a way that will increase people’s chances of surviving until a helicopter or ambulance arrives.

Note, this video includes graphic and realistic first aid scenes. Thanks to FACT First-Aid training and the team at Stubbs Contracting for their help in making it. 

Watch the video 

Emergency Response Tailgate Meeting Card

Below is a summary of the key information the Safetree Emergency Response Tailgate Meeting Card. You can use this information to check in with your crew or team and to make sure your emergency plans are well understood.

1. Be able to communicate quickly to get help:

• Charge radios and phones each night and regularly test locator beacon batteries
• Know where you’re working – be able to give the road names and GPS coordinates in ‘degrees decimal minutes’
• Have one person controlling communications with emergency services.

2. Be prepared to give first-aid before emergency services arrive:

• Before you head out each day, check you have the first-aid equipment you might need
• Be prepared to drive out by road if a helicopter can’t get in
• Have enough vehicles available to get everyone out safely if you need to leave in a hurry.

3. Know what to do in an emergency:

• Treat emergency drills like the real thing
• These should be held at least twice a year
• Have a back-up plan – think about what you could do if circumstances meant you couldn’t follow the emergency plan.

See the Emergency Response Plan Tailgate Card 

Rules around drones

Drones are a useful way for forestry operators to gather information about forestry blocks to help them plan operations.  There are rules surrounding the use of drones and information about them is available on the Civil Aviation website.

See the information on the Civil Aviation website

Free leadership courses coming up in August in Whanganui

Safetree’s leadership courses are being run in Whanganui on August 19-20. These courses are specifically designed for crew foremen, crew and health and safety reps. We currently have funding to offer a limited number of these courses for free.

To find out more email info@safetree.nz