The glorious four day Easter bank holiday is just round the corner. And with the sun shining (at least it was when I was writing this article) thoughts switch from warming soups, wellie boots and winter woollies to barbeques, sandals and reclaiming the garden! And we don’t just spend the time on egg hunts and family get-togethers, Easter is also one of the busiest times of the year for DIY stores and garden centres.
We spend on average around £5bn a year in the UK getting our gardens, hanging baskets and lawns looking perfect. Easter weekend is to garden & DIY centres, what Christmas is to department stores.
One in three of us in the UK are gardeners. I have to admit that as much as I enjoy sitting in my garden with a cold beer and an overcooked sausage, I’m definitely not one of them. That said, in much the same way I try brandy every Christmas just in case my tastes have changed (they haven’t), I often find myself spending Spring Sundays in the garden with the secateurs. Happily hacking away at various plants and hedges.
“Is it a flower?, Is it a weed? Best be on the safe side…. Chop!”
But I’m no hero and, after several attempts, had to admit defeat to the ubiquitous eucalyptus tree that was threatening to keep the sunlight away from me & my garden this summer. And so the specialists were called. Enter the Arborists. With their large chainsaws and impressive harnesses.
Surely I was paying them far too much money when all they were going to be doing was sawing down a tree. I had a moment of doubt, I could probably do this after all and save myself a few quid. Until that is I saw them hoist themselves far up into the tree - I’ve never been one for heights.
As you would expect in an industry that requires you to use a chainsaw while hanging from a branch, arborists have a high risk of serious injury. Figures fromthe Health and Safety Executive show that 1400 tree surgeons have been injured in the last 9 years. Between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2013 a total of 60 people were killed as a result of tree work activities and more than 4,000 have had their lives affected by the work they do. And that’s only the ones that the HSE know about, many more are never reported.
To put these figures into a wider context, tree surgery has a major injury incidence rate higher than that of the construction industry. Statistics show that the vast majority of fatal and major injuries in tree surgery are associated with chainsaw operations, being struck by a tree/tree branch or a fall. HSE have extensive case studies which demonstrate just how dangerous an area this can be, some examples include:
- 27 year old tree surgeon killed by chainsaw.
- Self-employed tree surgeon, 28 years old, killed while felling a tree.
- Contractor died using a chainsaw to fell a tree at the age of 54.
- 28 year old arborist found in tree with major laceration to his neck
- While cutting branches, 50 year old tree surgeon cut his arm and face
Thankfully my arborist left unharmed, and my garden will be a much sunnier place this summer. But when accidents do occur it can be due to poorly maintained equipment or lack of safety training. Employers have a legal obligation to ensure workers have the correct PPA and other equipment (such as harnesses, ropes, hardhats, boots, rigging, bracing equipment and ladders).
The 2007 Work at Height Regulations, which govern working at heights, set out the requirements for work to be properly planned and assessed. Additionally it requires workers to be properly trained and supervised.
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http://info.mayiclaim.co.uk/personal_injury_compensation_claim_news/bid/342845/Arborists-in-Danger-1-400-Tree-Surgeon-Injuries-in-the-Last-9-Years
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