Vegetation Management


2008 Highways Agency

Under sub-contract, Treeline supplied labour and equipment to Fountain Forestry for an Interoute contract to manage vegetation and trees along the A303 from Wincanton to Cartgate. Because we have met the exacting Health and Safety standards necessary to work beside busy main roads we are now being offered similar contracts for railway clearance. This involved extra insurances, an individual personal track safety training week and random testing for Alcohol and Drugs.

Treeline has a rigorous vetting procedure to ensure all our employees respect and adhere to our working practices. These working standards are employed in our private contracts and all work is fully risk assessed before commencement. This provides clarity and professionalism for the customer and reassurance in the event of an accident that there is traceability. No insurance company will pay out if these legal standards are not met.

Treeline employes a near miss reporting procedure that is in line with current HSE guidelines and Fountains' own policies keeping us up to date on the risks staff and public are possibly exposed to during tree works thus allowing appropriate changes to be made to reduce future risk.

When one of our staff was ill due to severe swelling reaction on his hand after it was pierced by a thorn, we made a report to Fountains. As a result new reinforced gloved were issued for use in particularly thorny areas and Fountains are approaching manufacturers to make reinforced gloves with chainsaw protection which are currently unavailable on the market.

Tesimonials

"Well done. Thank you for buying into our reporting procedure."

Iain Johnston Contracts Manager - Fountains

Expert Advice

Always check whether your Tree Surgeon is working within the law. They should be able and happy to provde their qualifications, contractors and employers liability insurance and should also carry professional indemnity insurance to cover any advice they are giving.

Risk Assessment is a legal requirement for any contractor and takes little time to do. Both the Contractor and Client are liable for prosecution in the event of an accident.

Kick the cowboys out of tree surgery by not employing them in the first place.