safetree Tree Felling Best Practice User Guide
- June 1, 2024
- safetree
Table of Contents
safetree Tree Felling Best Practice
Manual Tree-Felling Alert
Post this alert in containers & discuss at safety/tailgate meetings.
Date: March 2024
WorkSafe issued notification of a fatality in the Wairoa area on 8 February 2024. This involved a manual tree faller. The tree faller was an experienced worker who was returning to forestry after an absence and had just joined the crew. The WorkSafe investigation is ongoing.
Our thoughts go out to the family and others involved in this tragic event. This incident is still under investigation and details are still to be determined, so contributing factors to the incident are not available. The last four fatalities in the forest industry have involved manual tree felling. Safetree would like to take this opportunity to circulate the following reminders for those carrying out manual tree felling. Consider these points for safe manual tree felling.
The Tree Felling Best Practice Guide : This promotes the importance of on-going competency checks for all workers through audits, safe behavioral observations or Safetree Certification. These demonstrate that workers in high-risk jobs are maintaining the standards required to achieve their original qualifications. All of these checks must be documented.
The Approved Code of Practice for Safety & Health in Forest Operations: This requires a competent person to supervise workers who are new to the operation or task. Regardless of their training status, new workers should not be allowed to work unsupervised until they’ve demonstrated that they’re unlikely to harm themselves or others. Records of supervision and training must be kept, along with evidence that a competency check has been done.
Follow the 5-Step Felling Procedure
Assess for hazards
- Site: Predominant lean, wind strength, infrastructure, other operations
- Tree: defects, heavy lean, overhead hazards, restrictions Ready to cut?
- Prepare: Clear around tee, identify and clear escape route
- Cut right: Use the correct cuts in the correct order
- Retreat: Finish on the safe side, use escape route, watch out for hazards
Supporting resources
- See the Tree felling BPG: https://www.safetree.nz/resources/tree-felling-bpg
- See the ACoP: https://www.safetree.nz/resources/approved-code-of-practice-for-safetyand-health-in-forestry-operations
