Separation is the name of the game

Separation is the name of the game when you’re a climber arborist and that means everything. The climbing and rigging systems we use on a daily basis are built from many components to form a functioning system. These systems are generally items of equipment that are joined by hardware or knots or both, to a given load, generally a climber or a section of tree. It’s the climbing and rigging systems that lead us into the separation topic, as its vital to the climbers safety that these systems are clearly separating from each other.

Climbing Arborists can deal with some very serious loads, loads that could tear an arm or a leg from their body or even snap a person in two. We need safe working procedures to minimize the risk of a climber becoming part of the rigging load. Separation is a tool we can use to minimize accidents and even save lives.

When you climb a tree you become part of that tree and every thing you do in that tree will have an effect on your safety. With every branch you cut and lower, the tree is being loaded differently and this load makes the tree move and flex and sometimes even break. The tree is being loaded unnaturally and in most occasions is being loaded from the top down. You rig and lower the larger lower branches off the smaller and weaker higher branches and some times the tree doesn’t like that and fails. You can’t really blame it, can you?

You will be a victim of your actions and these actions can make or break you. Separation is relative simple. It simply means being separated from the risk as much as possible and ‘as much as possible’ will vary for every tree job. Separation is beautifully simple but very effective when practiced as if it was law.

Part of your pre-work risk assessment process will, or at least should, include “separation” as a control measure and it rates second as a preferred control measure on most risk management systems.

Below is a typical list of control measures for doing something about risk. They are listed in order of preference and effectiveness:

1. Eliminate the risk totally.
2. Separate the risk from the people.
3. Change the work method
4. Wear personal protective equipment

See how separation is high on the preferred list of risk control measures. It is a really valid way of reducing risk for the climbing arborist. Elimination is better but is hard to achieve when the tree is the risk and your job is to remove that risk. The climbing arborist is a risk control measure for the home owner, your job may involve working with hazardous trees to eliminate risk for other people.

As climbing Arborists we work with risk on a daily basis and it is the control tools like “separation” that keeps us safer in our workplace.

I would like to take this opportunity to give you some more detail on ways we can separate risk for the tree climber and to give you practical examples of this great risk management tool.
You may already be using some of these risk management tools in your workplace or they may be totally new to you. Always choose the most effective for the given situation or use multiples for even more safety. Remember that this is not rocket science, just common sense.

Separate Trees

If possible use a separate tree for your climbing rope attachment and descend into the tree requiring work. This technique allows you to work safely on a tree that is decayed or even moving in the ground. Remember that in this case separation also means not attaching to the tree you are working on but only being attached to the second tree. This separation tool gives you great power over your future and allows you to do work that was otherwise impossible. Note that it is very important that you do not attach to the tree you are working in if it is dangerous to do so. Separate attachment to another tree means that should the tree you are working in fail, you will only be left hanging by your climbing rope and not on the ground under a log.

1. Separate Trunks
When you don’t have a second tree, use a second trunk. Rig your climbing system in one trunk and work in another. Always go straight to the top and rig your climbing rope and only then start cutting. Rig your climbing rope on the easiest trunk to remove as this will be the last trunk standing and you will not have as many rigging possibilities with the last trunk. Separate trunks is a very common scenario for the climbing arborist. Separate trunks allows the rigging loads to be applied to a separate section of the tree to the climbing system. This independence greatly improves climber safety.

2. Separate Branches
The use of the climbing rope allows us to have an isolated anchor point and to separate our attachment from the branch we are working on. This tool also allows us to carry body weight on the rope and not solely on the branch and it also offers stability when working. The use of a climbing rope has many advantages over just using localized attachment. You no longer have to climb out on a long branch unaided and have your full body weight solely supported by one branch.

Remember that even though we recommend two points of attachment during cutting operations, there are times when it is safer to maintain isolation from the section of tree you are working on. Attaching to a branch that could fail underneath you is a very dangerous scenario.

3. Separate Climbing and Rigging Systems
Whenever possible separate your climbing system from your rigging system. Install your rigging system in a separate tree or separate trunk or a separate branch. Always choose the safest option that is available to you for the given tree. The isolation principle means that you do not clip into the section of tree you are working on, this approach is only used when it is deemed safer than two points of attachment.

When working on single trunk trees, separation is achieved by using different branch junctions for your climbing and rigging systems. Separation is also achieved by rigging your climbing system on the opposite side of the trunk to your climbing system. Should the rigging system anchorage fail it will not compromise your climbing system.

Separate Equipment

Separate the use of your equipment. Never use climbing equipment for rigging tree sections or rigging equipment for climbing purposes. Climbing ropes are only for climbing and should be used for no other purpose.
Worn out climbing ropes are just that, they do not become your new rigging rope. Separate equipment for your safety by labeling or colour coding.

4. Chainsaw Separation
Chainsaw operation can be separated from the operator by a very simple method. By placing a section of tree between you and the chainsaw acts as a safeguard. Cut branches on the opposite side of the trunk to your body and ensure the kickback path is always clear of your body.
Chainsaw separation may also mean that you unclip the chainsaw lanyard from your harness and attach it to a sling that is attached to the tree. In some situations where there is a high risk of the chainsaw becoming trapped in a log being cut then separating the chainsaw from the harness may be a very good idea.

As you can see separation takes on many forms and I have only named a few. Separation is a risk management solution that is practical and can be used on a daily job by job basis. It is one of many tools we can use to make our workplace safer. It should always be used in association with other control measures after completing your hazard assessment.

Next: The difference between access and working systems