Worker seriously injured by falling tree

Possible control measures to prevent similar incidents

Before carrying out tree removal/felling using powered mobile plant, a PCBU must ensure that the risks associated with the work have been identified and are minimised before works commence.

Effective control measures are often made up of a combination of controls. Some common risk control measures may include but are not limited to the following examples.

Where it is determined that mobile plant is the safest and most effective method of tree removal, one of the most effective controls are exclusion zones.

An initial exclusion zone should be applied when trees are being dropped and a smaller exclusion zone afterwards when the dropped trees are being removed. The following should apply.

• While dropping trees, there should be a distance specified by a competent person to control the risk of persons being struck by mobile plant, falling trees or other trees that could be catapulted (e.g. in some situations the exclusion zone may need to be a radius of at least twice the height of the tree being dropped – refer to the Forest harvesting Code of Practice 2007 (PDF, 1.53 MB).
• Once trees have been dropped, another exclusion zone should be set up to address the movement of the plant. For example, with excavator slewing, workers are at risk from the dipper arm and the bucket, as well as the counterweight.
• Minimise the need for workers to be inside exclusion zones while the plant is operating. Determine if the worker can do their job outside of the exclusion zone, at another time, or when the plant is inactive.
• Use physical barriers that prevent workers or plant access to designated areas, such as fencing, para-webbing or water-filled barriers.

The PCBU must ensure that the operator of the plant is competent to operate the plant safely.

Competence includes:

• the operator must be certified as competent (unless undergoing training) using nationally recognised industry competency standards where available
• the operator has received instruction and training from an experienced certificated operator on all aspects of the safe usage of the plant
• the operator must hold an appropriate current driver's licence if driving the forest harvesting plant on public roads.

A safe system of work for tree felling must be developed prior to the commencement of work to ensure contact (either by operational plant or a falling tree) is not made with persons or property who may be within the vicinity. This could include (but not limited to) consulting with all relevant parties before work starts.

Sometimes a PCBU may share responsibility for a health and safety matter with other PCBU’s who are involved in the same activities or who share the same workplace. In these situations, the PCBUs must exchange information to find out who is doing what and work together in a cooperative and coordinated way so that all risks are eliminated or minimised as far as reasonably practicable.

This includes:

• developing induction training programs that emphasise the dangers of people working near mobile plant
• ensuring all relevant information, training, instruction and supervision is provided before work begins
• ensuring plant operators have received the appropriate training in the safe removal of trees
• seeking advice from the plant manufacturer or competent person on the maximum tree size that can be removed
• planning for cutting around tree roots, to ensure this is done in a way that will ensure the tree can only fall away from excavator
• ensuring that supporting trees are not felled, when a tree is hung up, and if safe to do so, the hung up tree should be brought down by a machine, or otherwise made safe
• ensuring plant used in land clearing which requires an operator to be positioned on it during use, incorporates an appropriate operator protective structure (including Roll Over Protective Structures (ROPS), Falling Object Protective Structures (FOPS), or another structure which will offer protection in a particular application)
• ensuring additional persons are not allowed to ride on a machine, unless it has been fitted with an additional, properly constructed seat with seat belt, which is located inside the tractor ROPS / FOPS.

Any remaining risk must be minimised with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, use of hard hats, steel cap boots, eye protection, hearing protection and high-visibility vests.