The “Green” Industry: Training New Hires

Newbie, greenhorn, apprentice, #$@!%# new guy – we all know the terminology for the newly hired person on your crew. What was your first day on the job like? Was there an orientation and safety training, or were you stuck onto a crew and told “Don’t get killed”? Mine was the latter.

Staffing continues to be a major challenge throughout the tree care industry, and this often leads to new hires being thrown into the field quickly to keep up with demand. The culture of a company can often be problematic for bringing an inexperienced employee up to speed – an attitude of “Just go get it done” can lead to a lack of training, ineffective job-site communication and, ultimately, an incident.

OK, so that’s a problem. What are we supposed to do about it? Let’s look at the critical training items for new employees.

PPE

The first step of any job is donning personal protective equipment (PPE). ANSI Z133-2017 safety standard, subsection 3.3.2, states that, “The employer shall assess the work site to determine if hazards are present or are likely to be present and what type of personal protective equipment is required.”

What’s one of the primary activities of arborists? Making things fall. What could things fall on? A person. What does that person need? Head protection.

All of this may seem brutally fundamental, but it is the responsibility of the employer to create a hazard analysis within the safety policies for the company and enforce PPE guidelines.

This doesn’t mean you can toss a new hire a helmet and simply tell them to wear it. The Z133 goes on in 3.3.3 to state, “Training shall be provided on the inspection, use, care, maintenance, fit and replacement of personal protective equipment.” Ill-fitting PPE can be ineffective – think of chaps that are not cinched to a proper fit. Loose-fitting chain-saw protection will not function as the manufacturer intended and could present an entanglement hazard in other circumstances.

Communication

Struck-by incidents. How often do we talk about these? Not enough. The Z133 has multiple “shalls” – meaning requirements – regarding communication, and for good reason.

For instance, 3.4.4: “Before commencing operations, a communication protocol shall be established or reviewed between arborists aloft and personnel working on the ground. Verbal communication by voice or radio shall employ a command-and-response (C&R) protocol.”

3.4.5 continues with, “The arborist in charge shall establish a plan to safely manage the work site. Communications among arborists aloft and other workers on the ground shall be established before commencing operations. Predetermined, non-verbal communication such as whistles, two-way hand signals or radios may be used.”

Proper communication can prevent injuries and fatalities. Have you ever shouted “headache” and dropped a limb without waiting for a response? Headache means “RUN” because something unexpectedly dropped. A planned cut should always be accompanied by a “Stand clear” command and an “All clear” response before commencing. This is a critical job-site step for a new hire to understand.

Another safety measure that can aid new crew members in job-site safety is communication units on helmets. Hands-free headsets can reduce struck-by incidents by ensuring the C&R is not miscommunicated. They also can increase efficiency of the crew and be beneficial for training purposes.

Job briefing

The job briefing brings together many of these critical items. Limiting the new hire to throwing out cones while the rest of the crew talks is a mistake. Z133 3.4.3 states, “A job briefing shall be performed by the qualified arborist in charge before the start of each job. The briefing shall be communicated to all affected workers.”

What needs to be communicated during a job briefing? Annex A of the Z133 defines a job briefing as the communication of at least the following subjects for arboricultural operations:

  • Hazards associated with the job.
  • Work procedures involved.
  • Special precautions.
  • Electrical hazards.
  • Job assignments.
  • Personal protective equipment.

This is an important opportunity for a new hire. If they aren’t aware of the items listed above, their exposure to potential incidents is drastically increased. Job briefings are an incredibly effective “teachable moment” for a new crew member.

One of the often-overlooked portions of the briefing is the work plan with job assignments. Ensure that everyone on the crew is aware of their own tasks and each other’s tasks – there are interdependent safety items at stake. For instance, identifying whose responsibility it is to keep the drop zone tidy needs to be established to keep lines clear of brush being taken to be processed.

Along with the job assignments and plan, new hires need to be trained in the event of an emergency. Where the work-site address is listed on the job-briefing form, where the first-aid kit is located and who is calling emergency services are all items that need to be covered with a new crew member. It is common to exclude newer ground workers in aerial-rescue training, but they need the knowledge to assist in the event of an emergency.

Driving

Do they have a valid driver’s license? Yes? Awesome. Here’s the keys, get after it.

This is a major issue throughout the industry, and often overlooked. Many vehicles in the industry do not require a commercial driver’s license (CDL), so at a glance it would make sense to have a new employee jump in on day one. But a new hire will find driving a large truck with towed equipment drastically different than driving their four-door sedan to work every day.

Even common-sized, plant-health-care-type vehicles can be challenging – the center of gravity is higher, as they are often built on taller chassis, and a few hundred gallons of fluid sloshing around can change the stopping distance and turning characteristics of the vehicle. Hazards in this industry are not limited to the job site. Employees need to be trained in safe vehicle operation just as they should be for any piece of equipment they operate.

Knots

Sounds really simple, but it’s, well, not. Tying a rope to another rope to pass to a worker aloft is a must-do for new crew members. Even if a new crew member doesn’t know how to tie, dress and set a running bowline, ensure that they know how to untie one. This will save some time and frustration for the climbers on the crew.

Conclusion

As an industry, we need to improve our new-hire training – we must go beyond the standard I-9 form for employment eligibility and maybe a quick introduction to HazCom (hazard communications). Safety awareness starts from the point of hire and must remain a focus.

Mike Tilford, CTSP, is director of general tree care for SavATree, a 36-year TCIA member company headquartered in Bedford Hills, New York. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, a Municipal Specialist, a Certified Tree Worker – Climber Specialist and an ITCC head judge and gear inspector.

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