Safety is at the core of tree care work at Siskiyou Tree Experts and something we work hard to instil into our work culture. We have memberships with the International Society Of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) to provide our employees with training material on safety standards, safe work practices, and best management practices to ensure our employees and clients do not become exposed to an incident resulting in an injury or damage to surrounding property.
We also spend approximately 3 hours a week in a classroom setting here at our shop reading operators and maintenance manuals on equipment, discussing OSHA and ANSI safety standards, completing online courses from TCIA, or watching instructional videos on various topics.
Let’s dive into it a bit deeper and we’ll tell you from our standpoint why safety is a critical component in delivering tree services. And by the end of the article, if you’ve still got questions about out safety procedures, please call us and we’d be happy to walk you through it.
What safety precautions do you take during tree care or removal services?
Safety precautions taken during tree care or removal always include a job safety assessment where the entire crew is briefed on the job objectives and have the opportunity to inspect the site and working environment to identify potential hazards or obstacles to work around and determine how to mitigate the risk of injury or damage to property throughout the duration of the job.
Job safety assessments also cover how the crew will respond to an incident if one were to occur. This includes verifying we have access to a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and a rescue climbing kit. Crew members are also briefed on their roles and responsibilities during an incident and provided with information needed to execute those roles.
How do you protect my property during tree services?
We protect our clients property by being very considerate and treat others’ property the way we would like someone to treat ours. We use rigging techniques where necessary to lower sections of trees and avoid impacting surrounding property. We use heavy duty polydyne mats called Arbormats.com when necessary to protect people’s yards, walkways, and driveways from vehicles, equipment, or sections of a tree being dropped.
General Safety Procedures
- Pre-Work Walkthrough: Before any work begins, our team conducts a thorough walkthrough with the homeowner, which includes the Job safety assessment mentioned above. This helps us understand the property layout, identify valuable or fragile items, and set up appropriate safety measures.
- Limb Lowering Techniques: Instead of letting cut branches drop freely, we use ropes and rigging techniques to carefully lower them to the ground, ensuring no damage to structures, plants, or landscaping below.
- Protective Ground Coverings: We use protective ground coverings, like plywood or specialized mats, in areas where heavy equipment or falling debris might damage lawns, flowerbeds, or paved areas.
- Tree Protection Fencing: For longer projects, temporary fencing or barriers might be installed around trees or work zones to protect the rest of the property from stray debris or equipment.
- Delicate Pruning: Tree pruning is an art. Pruning incorrectly can have negatives impacts on your trees health, which is why we take special care and attention to assess and plan out every pruning job. Helps reduce any risk associated with pruning.
- Avoiding Underground Hazards: Before digging or grinding stumps, we check for underground utilities or irrigation systems to prevent damage.
- Equipment Placement: We strategically position cranes, chippers, and other heavy equipment to avoid driveways, pathways, and other structures, ensuring that their weight or movement doesn’t cause damage.
- Disease Prevention: To avoid the spread of tree diseases from one location to another, our tools and equipment are regularly cleaned and sanitized.
- Tree Padding: When using equipment or ropes against a tree, we might use padding or protection to avoid stripping bark or damaging the tree, which in turn prevents dead limbs that could fall on the property later.
- Communication with Homeowners: We keep homeowners informed about every step of the process, ensuring they know when it’s safe to enter or exit their property, or when certain areas might be temporarily off-limits.
- Debris Clean-up & Removal: Every piece of debris, from the largest branch to the smallest twig, is cleared from the property, ensuring the homeowner’s yard remains as pristine as before we started.
- Post-Work Inspection: Once the job is done, we conduct a post-work inspection to ensure no property damage has occurred. If any minor disturbances to the landscape happen, such as upturned soil or minor disruptions to flower beds, we make sure to restore them.
Licensed, Certified, and Trained
At Siskiyou Tree Experts, we offer extensive experience in comprehensive tree care and removal. We place your safety and that of your property as our utmost priority. We believe that being active members of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), further solidifies our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our service.
We operate with full licensing from the Construction Contractors Board of Oregon, offering you peace of mind with our credible and reliable services. Customer satisfaction isn’t just a phrase for us—it’s our driving goal, and we don’t consider our job done until you are completely satisfied. In every project, we uphold our responsibility to the environment, employing techniques that are as gentle and sustainable as possible, allowing your trees—and your property—to thrive.
Have a question about safety, our procedures, or anything else?
Get in touch with us and we’d be more than happy to share more information. We service all over Grants Pass and the Rogue Valley.
Certifications
- ISA Certified Arborists #PN-7855A
- ANSI Z133 Safety Standards For Arboricultural Operations
- ANSI A300 Standards for Tree Care Practices includes Pruning, Tree Risk Assessment, Supplemental Support Systems, Root and Soil Management.
- TCIA Tree Academy Courses including Chipper safety, groundworker operations, Climbing techniques, Chainsaw safety, aerial rescue, rigging techniques, tree felling operations, and aerial lift operations.
Certifications, Accreditations & Training
