No Excuses! Most Compact-Lift Failures Are Preventable
The experts – those who make and sell compact lifts and, ultimately, have to do a lot of the repairs – say causes of the majority of compact-lift “fails,” as the slang goes, boil down to one of two things: operator error or lack of maintenance. With respect to operator error, Mike Hrycak, president of […]
Crane Safety: Electrifying Hazards
Crane-safety experts’ observations about the hazards of power lines, taking safety precautions and the need for training Working on trees around power lines can be a killer – literally. But in tree work involving cranes, added danger often comes from another area: complacency. “The biggest thing we come across is complacency in terms of pre-op […]
Business Of PHC, Part 9: Navigating Regulatory Requirements
It’s not uncommon to feel confident in your ability to dismantle a dead tree with heavy equipment and complicated rigging, but at the same time to feel insecure about your ability to diagnose and nurse a sick tree back to health with chemical-based treatments. For the arborist considering adding plant health care (PHC) to their […]
Accreditation Opens the Door for Pannell Co. Utility Contracts
When Jeff Pannell and his father were clearing land and building fences in the Texas Hill Country, little did Jeff know that someday he and his future wife would be operating the largest utility-contractor tree service in that area. Kathy Pannell, Jeff’s wife, is now president of Pannell Co., a second-year TCIA member company based […]
Don’t “Blow It” with Hydraulics Safety
Arborists work with equipment utilizing hydraulics every day – chippers, chip-dump beds, stump grinders, aerial lifts and the list goes on. While accidents from hydraulic-fluid leaks are rare within the tree care industry, they can result in serious injuries and even amputation. Before we talk about hydraulic injuries and how to prevent them, let’s look […]