Chain-Saw Injuries: Us Versus Them
Chain saws are among the most basic tools for tree workers. While we once performed pruning and felling with one- and two-person crosscut saws, no one would want to return to those days. The chain saw is also the power tool we most share in common with homeowners. Most people do not own an aerial […]
Accident Briefs for March 2021
Man electrocuted in tree A man was electrocuted when he apparently made contact with a power line while in a tree March 7, 2021, in Baltimore, Maryland. First responders received reports of a man stuck in a tree. Investigators believe the man was killed when he touched the power line, according to a WJZ-TV Channel […]
California Line Clearance: Big Trees, Big Power & Big Skills
A two-lane road at 8 a.m. It is hovering around 34 degrees in the high Sierras of California, a few miles east of Quincy, a logging and resort town. A lazy wind plays with leaves by the side of the road. It is lazy because it doesn’t go around, it cuts right through me. A […]
COVID-19 Vaccinations and the Tree Care Industry: Are We Eligible?
On April 6, President Biden announced that by April 19, 2021, every adult in the United States could sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination. This did not mean that everyone would receive the vaccine by April 19, but that everyone would be eligible to make an appointment by that date at the latest. This date […]
Leading and Lagging Indicators
There is a strong, positively correlated relationship between behavior and results. This is particularly true when it comes to risk management in tree care. Specifically, some behaviors observed in tree care operations can have disastrous consequences. We need only look at TCIA’s weekly “Fatality & Near Miss Report” (subscribe at tcia.org, under the Education & […]