Safety on site
Tree work is one of the more dangerous things done in a domestic garden. Here is what that means in practice, and what to ask anyone who quotes you.
The four questions to ask any climber
These are worth asking of every firm quoting, us included. A straight answer takes seconds; a hesitation tells you everything.
- What public liability cover do you carry, and can I see the certificate? A photograph of a logo is not a certificate. Ask for the document, with the policy dates on it.
- Is there employers' liability cover? Required by law where anyone is employed on site, and it is what protects you if a crew member is hurt in your garden.
- What chainsaw and aerial rescue qualifications does the climber hold? Ask by name, and ask to see the cards. Aerial rescue is the one people forget: it is the training that gets an injured climber out of the tree.
- Who is taking the waste, and under what waste carrier registration? Fly-tipped waste can be traced back to the household it came from, and the fine lands on you.
Our answers go out with the quote if you ask for them, before anyone climbs.
On the day
- Drop zone. Marked out before any cutting, and nobody inside it who is not working. That includes you, however interesting it looks.
- Never one person alone up a tree. There is always someone on the ground who can get a climber down.
- Rigging over anything below. Sections tied off, cut, and lowered under control rather than dropped, wherever there is a roof, a fence, a pond or a boundary underneath.
- Weather. We do not climb in high wind or lightning, and we will move a booking rather than push it. A tree in wind is a different tree.
- Kit checked before use. Ropes, harnesses, karabiners and saws, every day, not every so often.
- Chipper discipline. The most dangerous machine on any tree job. Nobody untrained goes near it, and the feed is never left running unattended.
Your part
There is not much, but it matters:
- Keep children and pets indoors while we are cutting, not just away from the tree.
- Move cars off the drive if we have asked, and keep the access route clear.
- Tell us about anything buried: soakaways, cables to a shed or a pond pump, septic runs. A stump grinder cannot see them.
- Do not come out to talk to a climber who is working. Wait until they are on the ground.
Wildlife and the law
It is an offence to intentionally damage or destroy the nest of a wild bird while it is in use or being built, and the main nesting season runs from roughly March to August. Bats and their roosts are protected all year round, and old trees with cavities are exactly where roosts are found. If we see evidence of either, we stop that part of the work and tell you what has to happen next. That is not us being difficult; the offences are strict.
Your property
- Ground protection where a machine has to cross a lawn, and boards under anything heavy on a patio.
- Greenhouses, water features, garden furniture and pots moved or protected before we start, and we will point out anything we are worried about at the quote stage.
- Ruts made good, paths swept, gates shut.
- Neighbours told what to expect if you would like us to. Chainsaws and a chipper are loud, and a note the day before goes a long way.
What we are not claiming
This page describes how the work is carried out. It does not display trade association logos or scheme badges, because a badge is only worth what the register behind it says. When the firm's real certificate numbers are in place they will be published here with the issuing body named so you can check them yourself. Until then, ask us the four questions above and hold us to the answers.
Questions about how we work?
Ask before you book, not after. We would rather answer it now.