How safe are you?
Dave Gratton
New Zealand Tree
Grower February 2006
If
you did not carry out maintenance on your car you would not pass the
WOF required to enable you to legally drive on the road. But when we
look at all the various machines and other equipment we use every day,
their inspection and maintenance also needs to be on a regular basis.
But that sometimes does not happen.
When was the last time you checked your pruning equipment for example?
Ladder
Check
your ladder for cracks. Is the top platform secure. Are the feet
pointed enough to dig into the ground. If the ladder is used in high
pruning tasks then check the safety chain is attached for securing the
ladder against the tree.
Most injuries in silviculture are when
either going up the ladder or when coming down. That is something you
have control over, but always make sure the ladder is fit for the job.
Pruning
Always check every day that your loppers are sharp and the nuts, bolts
and washers are all as they should be. Blunt loppers or blades with
dried up resin on them take extra muscle to shear a branch of a tree.
When you are doing it all day, long term damage to your upper arm
muscles may develop. It is much easier to sharpen the blade before use
and save unwarranted wear and tear on your body.
Also, check your
saw and make sure the blade is tensioned correctly and free from dried
resin. Check the pouch into which the loppers and saw fit.
Safety devices
Every
day check that all parts of the safety belt are secure and in good
order. Recently a farm forester fell four metres from a tree while
pruning when his safety belt broke. Fortunately he suffered only minor
injuries, but it illustrates that these rare accidents can happen.
Make
sure when purchasing safety equipment that it is fit for the purpose
you want. In forestry the length of chain or rope that goes around the
tree will be shorter than other industries require. If you shorten it
or modify it then your warranty or guarantee will no longer be valid,
and you may alter the stress loading capability. It is much better to
send it back to the dealer and get exactly what you are paying for.
Generally
when purchasing specialised equipment it pays to deal with a recognised
forestry business that understands your requirements, such as Levin
Sawmakers who are excellent in this regard.
The professional tree felling guide
The
professional tree felling guide is new on the market. It is a fully
illustrated, colourful, user-friendly publication presented in a robust
wallet and targeted at tree fellers.
It sets out the standards for
safe and productive tree felling using clear and simple language and
includes information on the following topics –
- Personal safety and wellbeing
- Felling equipment and accessories
- Safe felling practices
- Basic felling cuts
- Difficult trees and situations.
The
guide reminds fellers of critical rules for tree felling and the safe
work practices that they are expected to maintain. Copies are available
for $10.00 from Justine Hine, FITEC, PO Box 137 067, Parnell, Auckland,
email justine.hine@fitec.org.nz
ACC precautionary tale DVDs
ACC
and Southland television have produced a series of ten 30- minute
programmes focusing on key agricultural practices that can lead to
severe and long term injuries on the farm. The programmes focus
attention on simple practical steps that can be taken to reduce the
high injury rate and associated costs.
These DVDs are free and have
been screened on Channel 90 on the Sky network. They outline how to
manage the risks of an injury in a particular job.
Episode
1 Child safety on farms
2 Latest update on ATV safety
3 Hearing is precious – noise induced hearing loss
4 Reducing injury costs. Part 1 – Farmsafe awareness and plans
5 Reducing injury costs. Part 2 – Farmsafe skills
6 Respiratory protection
7 Shearing industry
8 ATV helmets
9 Slip, trips and falls
10 Large animal handling.
They can be ordered from Sheree at Southland TV, phone 03 214 6900 or
email sheree@southlandtv.co.nz
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