The Arboriculture Association has announced it is shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of another young, fit and competent arborist, who died from chainsaw injuries while working in a tree in Bermondsey, South London.
The details of arborist Greg Bulbec death in February remain unclear and follow the death of Alexander Kirkley, who died from chainsaw kickback injuries to the neck in February last year.
The Coroner investigating the accident issued a ‘Report to prevent future deaths’, under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulation 28 of Coroners (investigations) Regulations 2013, in December 2016. This is an unusual occurrence and ‘prevention of future deaths’ reports are normally only issued where it is felt that further deaths are possible or even likely and the coroner believes that action can be taken to prevent further deaths
The Association said it is in correspondence with a number of others, including the Health and Safety Executive ‘AFAG’ group, to examine the current legislation, training and good practice guidance, the design and functionality of chainsaws – in particular top handled saws, and availability and use of PPE, in order to fully explore what more could be done to ensure the safety of climbing arborists.
They said, “It is too early to announce any conclusions to these issues – of course they have been examined extensively over many years – but, like any operator of potentially lethal machinery (a car driver, for example), we must remain vigilant and attentive.”
The Association also reminded arborist to:
Think ahead – risk assess and plan
Follow the guidance – top handled saws are not ‘one-handed saws’
Ensure contingency measures are in place – first aid, emergency and rescue plans.
A number of health and safety resources for arborists can be found at:
http://www.trees.org.uk/Help-Advice/Public/Help-for-arborists
