•Three-way communication systems •Adjustments to rope angles and speeds •Safety training and education programs •Safety gear Tim Spence, business owner of Arbor- ist Halifax , advised staying ahead of the game by creating a step-by-step ac- tion plan of where and how tree work will be performed before it starts. “Having a safety briefing in the morn- ing or before commencing a job en- sures all crew members are on the same page,” he said. LINES OF COMMUNICATION Effective drop zone safety relies on clear, simple, and consistent commu- nication between climbing arborists and ground crews. A formal com- mand-and-response system using three-way communication is necessary to ensure every command is heard, re- ceived, and acknowledged.
Having a safety briefing in the morning or before commencing a job ensures all crew members are on the same page.
“The crew should rely on short, stan- dardized verbal commands such as ‘slack,’ ‘hold,’ ‘lower,’ or ‘stop,’ with the ground worker repeating the command back to confirm it was heard correctly,” Conry explained. ANSI Z133 3.4.4 — 3.4.5 offers other examples of acceptable three-way com-
munication such as eye contact, hand signals, whistles, and radio transceiv- ers. Ultimately, arborists should rely on a combination of verbal and non-verbal techniques to increase the success rate of communication and reduce the risk of confusion and injury. For example, when the climbing ar- borist is ready to drop a branch, they will look below and shout a command like “stand clear.” The ground crew will respond in kind by repeating back “clear” and making eye contact with a hand signal to verify the command was received and acknowledged. In sit- uations where distance or background noise reduce verbal acuity, headsets and non-verbal communication meth- ods like hand signals, eye contact, body positioning, and rope tugs become an arborist’s most valuable tool. Being shown the ropes is equally as important when working in the drop zone. Knowing how to control the direc- tion and speed of tie-offs makes for safe and efficient rigging operations: •Configure the rigging system to your advantage by selecting a strong rigging point above the work being performed;
Climbing arborists and ground crews need to stay alert and communicate effectively during aerial operations by using a command-and-response system with 3-way communication techniques like verbal commands, eye contact, and hand signals.
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