Safety Tailgate
PPE's Role In Preventing Injuries By Matthew Knull, Training Instructor, ACRT Arborist Training
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.8 million nonfatal work- place injuries and illnesses occurred in 2022 — a 7.5 percent increase from 2021. When it comes to injury preven- tion, what better way to stay safe on the job than by using the proper personal protective equipment (PPE)? As an ACRT arborist training instruc- tor, I teach students the importance of being safer — something to keep top of mind at home and in the work- place — so they are confident in their ability to work in a safety-conscious environment. We work in a hazardous industry. Each of us needs to do our part to make sure everyone makes it home at the end of the day — including wearing our PPE properly. The PPE for tree climbers and others in our industry has changed a great deal over the last 20 years and continues to do so. This protective equipment should al- ways be worn while on the job site — much like we wear a seatbelt while in our cars. You never know when and where an incident will occur where PPE will be needed. Tree climbing is a very difficult job that usually results in a dirty, sweaty, and frustrated employee. This is oen a reason employees take shortcuts and fail to fully comply with standards and company policies regarding PPE. For this reason and others, manufactur- ers of PPE for arborists have designed many different styles of PPE specific to tree climbers.
Tree care professionals must do their part to ensure everyone makes it home at the end of the day. That includes wearing PPE properly.
noise louder than 85 decibels. There are many options when it comes to proper ear protection, but you’re more likely to use the earmuffs that are mounted on your hard hat rather than forgetting to put in earplugs. Some safety helmets, such as the Pfanner Protos® have ear- muffs designed to slide into the hard hat to prevent them from falling out or getting snagged on a twig. EYE PROTECTION It doesn’t take long for standard eye protection on tree climbers to get dirty, sweaty, and rendered complete- ly useless. With the plain, clear safety glasses, when it’s humid out, there’s not enough heat in the air to dry the moisture off the glasses and you end up with foggy lenses.
HARD HATS It’s important to wear a hard hat during any arboriculture-related operation — whether you’re on the ground or in a tree. When working in a tree, chances are, a standard full-brim hard hat won’t stay on long without a chin strap. For that reason, many hard hats come with a built-in chin strap. Remember to inspect your hard hat regularly. Look for things such as dis- coloration and cracks, then conduct a mechanical inspection or a flex test by squeezing on both sides. If a hard hat is safe enough to use, it will return to its original shape. EAR PROTECTION It’s critical to protect your ears while operating equipment that produces
Many styles have been created to pre-
52 | ArborTIMES Spring 2024
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