Trees and Safety

Proper clothing, the right tools and some thoughtful caution are prerequisites to safe work around trees. The result can be healthier trees and good outdoor exercise for you.

If you are driving a car, it is far more likely you will have an accident close to home rather than on a long trip. Progressive Insurance found that nearly 70% of its customers that filed claims had their accident within 10 miles of home. Part of the reason is that this is where most driving occurs. But there is another reason. We tend to become relaxed and distracted when things become familiar and routine.

Maintaining healthy trees requires care, and tree care can be dangerous business. Arborists and other tree workers face danger daily from falls, cuts, being struck by falling limbs, being caught in chipping machines and a host of other causes. But these men and women receive extensive training in how to work safely and they usually have the best of equipment to protect them. This bulletin is not about or for them. Instead it is for homeowners, volunteers, and others who may work in an office one day and find themselves working on trees in the evening or on a day off. 

The purpose of this bulletin is to raise awareness of the dangers involved in tree care and to present some basic methods for reducing the chances of getting hurt. Safety should always be the first concern when working around trees and it requires the same degree of constant alertness as driving a car or flying an airplane. With the right attitude and a few precautions, tree care can result in healthy trees without jeopardizing the health of the care giver. We hope that you will not only review this important bulletin but also make copies available to volunteer pruners and others who do parttime work with community trees.