Carry out aerial tree pruning operations

This standard covers all the activities that may be required to carry out aerial tree pruning operations, together with the core requirements and responsibilities.

Aerial tree pruning operations could include some or all of the following:
• reductions
• crown-lifting
• re-pollarding
• thinning
• crown cleaning

You could be working to a given specification that defines the methods to be used but you will be expected to determine how to carry out these methods on site.

You will need to take account of any restrictions affecting the work e.g. designated sites, the presence of listed structures, wildlife, non-native invasive or protected species etc.

When working with equipment and machinery you must be appropriately trained and hold current certification where required, in line with the relevant legislation.

All tree felling, branch removal or dismantling work must be carried out by a trained and competent person who is experienced in the felling task being undertaken and is adequately supervised, where required.

Your work must conform to all relevant legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance.

This standard is only suitable for those who are already competent in accessing trees by climbing and/or using a Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP).

Falls from trees or being hit by falling trees, sections of trees or branches can kill or seriously injure workers on site or those passing by.

Confirm that:
• safe practices are adopted for accessing and working in trees
• the layout and organisation of the work area protects all parties from the risk of falling objects
• risk zones are established and people are prohibited from entering the zone
• risk zones are, where reasonably practicable, clearly marked, signed and guarded
• communication methods between all workers on site are robust and effective

Additional resources may be required on site, such as banksmen, to help manage any risk associated with anyone possibly entering the work site.

Core requirements and responsibilities

1. obtain the relevant information to carry out the work activities in accordance with organisational procedures
2. check any statutory requirements that might be in place that may prohibit or place conditions on the work to be carried out, and confirm that all required permissions and licences have been obtained
3. maintain the health and safety of yourself and others at all times, in accordance with the relevant legislation and codes of practice
4. assess the risks associated with the site and with working at height, the hazards posed by the tree and the work to be carried out, before starting work and throughout the activity, checking and confirming the findings of any existing risk assessments
5. consider the effect of disease, defects and decay on the treework operation and obtain professional advice where you are unsure
6. confirm that sufficient control measures are implemented, risk zones and drop zones have been set up and marked, and emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site have been established and recorded
7. select the safest working methods, making use of mechanical methods where this is safer, in accordance with the assessed risks and organisational procedures, and plan work accordingly
8. confirm that relevant training, experience and certification is in place to undertake the work to be carried out and recognise your own competence limitations
9. use appropriate methods to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by the work, in accordance with industry guidance and organisational procedures
10. confirm that the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the work to be carried out is worn at all times
11. select, prepare, use, maintain and store the tools and equipment required for the work safely, in accordance with legal requirements and manufacturers’ instructions
12. confirm that all equipment has been checked, tested where required, and is fit for purpose, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and manufacturer's instructions
13. maintain the safety and security of tools and equipment on site
14. minimise damage or disturbance to the site and surrounding area while carrying out the work and confirm that the site is left in a safe and tidy condition
15. implement best practice approaches to sustainability that are appropriate for the work being carried out
16. deal effectively with issues that arise, within the scope and limitations of your responsibilities, and report issues that cannot be resolved in accordance with organisational procedures
17. complete and store all relevant documentation in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and organisational procedures
    Carry out aerial tree pruning
18. access trees safely, using the appropriate methods and equipment, in accordance with tree hazard and working at height assessments
19. use appropriate methods, tools and equipment to carry out arial tree pruning in accordance with the information provided and risk assessments
20. drop all arisings from tree-pruning operations into the planned drop zones, using the relevant methods, without compromising access equipment or damaging infrastructure, and in accordance with the information provided and risk assessments
21. re-assess anchor points or positioning of the Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP), throughout the work activities in accordance with any identified risks

Core requirements and responsibilities

1. how to identify and access information relevant to the required work
2. how to identify hazards and assess the risks associated with the site and the work to be carried out, and the importance of site-specific risk assessment and control measures that are appropriate for your area of work
3. the importance of checking for signs of disease and decay in the tree being worked on and where to obtain professional advice
4. the relevant health and safety procedures and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW)
5. the emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site, risk zone management, correct use of warning signs and barriers to inform and protect others while the work is carried out, and the procedures for temporary traffic management where required
6. the current legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance, organisational policies, procedures and protocols, business and professional ethics relevant to your area of work, and to which you must adhere
7. the legal, industry and organisational requirements for training, experience and certification to undertake the work activities required, and the importance of acknowledging your limitations and not undertaking work that is beyond your level of competence
8. why it is important to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by, the work and the methods of communication that should be used
9. the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the work and how to safely, prepare, use, carry out operator maintenance, and store these, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements, manufacturer’s instructions, and organisational procedures
10. the legal requirements for the inspection of all climbing and lowering equipment and the evidence required to show that this has been done
11. technology used in your area of work and how to use it
12. the potential impact of the work on the site and surrounding area and how this can be minimised
13. your and the organisation’s responsibility for protecting the environment and working sustainably
14. the importance of checking that completed work meets the requirements in accordance with the information provided
15. the issues that can occur when carrying out aerial tree pruning, the actions to take and the organisational procedures for reporting issues that cannot be resolved
16. the scope and limitations of your competence, responsibilities and accountability
17. the legal and organisational requirements for the completion and storage of documentation
    Carry out aerial tree pruning
18. how to identify tree species and families and how species, condition and time of year will affect tree pruning
19. the basic principles of tree biology and how these affect tree-pruning operations
20. how to access trees safely using ladders, climbing equipment, and Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP)
21. the importance of selecting an appropriate anchor point for the access equipment so that the anchor point/position will not be compromised by the tree or any part of the work being carried out
22. the importance of using a personal fall protection system when climbing and working in trees
23. pruning methods and techniques and the tools and equipment required to carry out tree pruning operations
24. pruning and measurement terms and how to apply them
25. the recognition of tension and compression in the branches, and the ways to remove a saw that becomes trapped in a cut
26. the methods of reducing and pruning heavy and/or long branches and the equipment required to aid the removal of tree sections
27. the importance of accurate and appropriate cuts when removing sections and branch material from trees, and the potential effect tree section removal can have on the retained parts of the tree
28. the additional safeguards required during re-pollarding of trees
29. the correct methods of dealing with arisings in accordance with legal and organisational requirements
30. how to descend trees and remove equipment safely

Carry out tree pruning operations by climbing or using a MEWP, or both to achieve the following:
• reductions
• crown-lifting
• re-pollarding
• thinning
• crown cleaning

Different methods of dealing with arisings include: burning, stacking, burying, spreading, further processing, re-using as other products

Banksman/signaller – a trained and competent person who controls the movements of machinery, procedures and people on a site, to ensure work activities are carried out safely.

A hierarchy of controls must be established between the banksman/signaller and other operators to ensure that pre-agreed signals are clearly transmitted and understood.

Drop zone – the designated area into which objects such as tree branches or trunk sections are to be dropped when carrying out aerial tree pruning.

Health and safety risks from chainsaw use:

• being cut by the saw
• hit or crushed by moving timber
• noise-induced hearing loss
• hand-arm vibration (HAV)
• exhaust fumes from petrol-driven chainsaws
• exposure to oils
• exposure to dust
• effects of fatigue/dehydration on the ability to work safely
• other work equipment or activities on site

Information required to carry out work activities could include:
• drawings
• plans
• schedules
• specifications
• method statements
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• manufacturer’s instructions
• customer requirements
• quality assurance requirements
• industry standards (e.g. British Standards)
• verbal or written instructions
• industry guidance (e.g. FISA)

Organisational procedures refer to procedures set by the organisation you are employed by or the organisation that you are doing the work on behalf of (the client or customer)

Personal Fall Protection System – a collection of components which, when used correctly, combine to prevent a fall. Personal fall protection systems comprise a primary system and a back-up which is attached to an independent anchor wherever possible. The back-up can only be omitted when:
• It is not practical to maintain it for the specific, “stationary” and short-duration task of rope advance/changeover, reinstating the back-up as soon as possible
• Carrying out the rescue of a casualty where speed is crucial

Pruning methods:
• Target pruning is the cutting back to a branch or trunk, normally using a three-cut process. All cuts should be made just outside the line of the branch bark ridge and/or branch collar of the retained branch or the trunk.
• Formative pruning is the removal of, for example, unwanted secondary leading shoots and potentially weak forks that could fail in adverse weather conditions, such as strong wind or snow.
• Crown thinning involves the removal of a proportion of secondary and small live branch growth throughout the crown to produce an even density of foliage around a well-spaced and balanced branch structure.
• Pollarding is the removal of all the branches from a tree.
• Crown reduction is the cutting back to a side bud or branch to retain a flowing branch line without leaving, specifically, “inter-nodal” stumps.
• Crown reshaping is a combination of formative pruning and crown reduction.
• Crown lifting involves the removal of the lower branches of a tree to a given height above ground level, either by the removal of whole branches or of the parts that extend below the desired clear height.
• Basal growth results from the pruning of many species, where very rapid growth of multiple new shoots can result, especially when they are exposed to full light.

Risk zone – Also referred to as Danger zone and Exclusion zone. The Risk zone should be established before commencement of any tree work.

Safe System of Work (SSoW) – is a method of work which puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards. which are broken down into four elements: safe person; safe equipment; safe place; and safe practice.