On behalf of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group, we regret to announce that a member of public was killed when a tree fell onto their car in Buckinghamshire last month.
We want to take this opportunity to remind members to ensure your organisation and staff are undertaking regular training for competency when undertaking arboriculture work.
All felling or branch removal work should be carried out by a competent person, in particular a specialist tree work contractor. According to HSE, systems for managing trees should include:
- An overall assessment of risks from trees
- ‘Zoning’ trees according to the risk of them falling and causing serious injury or death.
- For trees in a frequently visited zones, a system for periodic checks is appropriate. This should involve a quick visual check for obvious signs that a tree is likely to be unstable and be carried out by a competent person with a working knowledge of trees and their defects.
- A program to remove trees, or mitigate the risks from trees, that could fall or drop branches onto areas used by people.
Relevant guidance, courses and information
