THE Forestry Industry Safety Accord (FISA) and the Arb Association are producing a new safety guide relating to tree shears and grapple saws, to address “potential issues that need to be taken into immediate operational consideration”.

The new safety guide will provide an outline of the key safety points associated with chain shot, the high velocity separation and ejection of a piece or pieces of cutting chain from the end of a broken chain in mechanised felling of timber; and carrying out site-specific risk assessments, taking into consideration risk zones, particularly in urban settings, and consideration of landing zones and machine stability, before operations commence.

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It will also cover correctly adhering to LOLER regulations, which require that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person who is appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner; and PUWER regulations, which require the base machine should be assessed by a competent person as to its suitability for the operating attachment and its stability when fitted with the attachment.

The FISA Plant & Equipment Working Group has released this safety alert in advance of the new FISA 608 Tree Shear & Grapple Saw Safety Guide. The new safety guide will provide an outline of the key safety points associated with this new equipment that is a rapidly growing sector in tree work.

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