Climbing rope and harness hanging from a branch above a chainsaw on a tarpaulin

Work at height and chainsaw rules for Exeter tree work

8 min read
Rules and permits
Tree work in Exeter is high-risk work, governed by the Work at Height Regulations 2005, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and general contractor risk duties. This guide explains what those rules mean on a tree site, what a competent crew should show and what a client can reasonably ask to see before work starts.

Tree work in Exeter is high-risk work, and the rules that govern it come from several sets of regulations rather than one. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 set the duty to plan and supervise any work above ground level. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 cover the chainsaws, ropes, lifting gear and platforms that crews use. Each contractor also has to manage its own risks under general health and safety law. This guide explains what those rules mean on a tree site, what a competent crew should be able to show, and what a client can reasonably ask to see before work starts.

Work at Height Regulations 2005

Almost every task in tree work happens above ground level, so the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to most of the job. Regulation 4 places the duty on the employer to ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out as safely as is reasonably practicable. The planning must include the selection of work equipment and, under regulation 4(2), planning for emergencies and rescue, and the regulation also says that work at height must be carried out only when the weather conditions do not jeopardise the health or safety of the people involved.

The Health and Safety Executive's brief guide, Working at height, makes the practical point that falls from ladders and through fragile surfaces are among the common causes of serious injury. Tree work adds other causes to that list, such as falls from a climbing line, failure of an anchor point and objects falling from the crown. A competent contractor identifies each of these before the first climb and sets out how it will be controlled, rather than relying on experience alone.

For a client, the most useful question is simple: is there a written plan for the job, and does it name the method of access, the rescue arrangements and the people responsible for each task? A contractor who can answer that question clearly is usually one who has done the planning. A contractor who cannot should be treated with caution.

Equipment, chainsaws and PUWER

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 apply to any equipment used at work, including chainsaws, pole saws, rigging gear and mechanical chippers. Regulation 4 of PUWER requires that work equipment is suitable for the purpose for which it is used, and that it is used only for operations for which it is suitable and under conditions for which it is suitable.

For a chainsaw, suitability means more than having a machine that cuts. It means a saw with the right bar length for the work, a chain that is sharp and correctly tensioned, a working chain brake and guards, and the personal protective equipment that goes with it. Operators should be trained and competent. The Health and Safety Executive's leaflet Chainsaws at work quotes the Approved Code of Practice that supports regulation 9 of the same Regulations, which deals with training: before using a chainsaw to carry out work on or in a tree, a worker should have received appropriate training and obtained a relevant certificate of competence or national competence award, unless they are undergoing such training and are adequately supervised. Those certificates are the recognised standard for chainsaw work in trees, rather than a licence to trade. A crew that is working at the top of a tree on a single rope needs a different set of tools from a crew on the ground with a pole saw, and the risk assessment should reflect that.

Client questions here are also practical. Ask whether the crew uses the same saws, whether the equipment is maintained and inspected, and whether the operators hold recognised training. Those questions help a client understand what sort of crew is coming to the garden and whether the standard of work is likely to be consistent.

Rescue planning and lone working

Rescue planning is part of the legal duty to plan work at height under regulation 4, and it is often the least visible part. A climber who is suspended in a tree after a fall needs to be brought down safely, and the crew must be able to do that without putting a second person at risk. A good rescue plan names the people who will carry it out, the equipment they will use and how they will communicate. It should be rehearsed or at least discussed with the whole crew before the work starts.

Lone working is a particular concern in tree work, because a single arborist may be working alone in a garden or on a remote site. The Health and Safety Executive's guide, Protecting lone workers, explains that lone workers face a greater risk of harm because there may be no one to help if things go wrong, and that employers should provide training, supervision, monitoring and support for them. The chainsaw leaflet is blunter still, advising against working alone with a chainsaw and, where that cannot be avoided, making arrangements for raising the alarm. For tree work, those controls usually include a check-in arrangement, a clear plan for emergencies and a rule that certain tasks are never performed alone. A client should expect the contractor to explain how it manages lone working, and should be wary of any arrangement where a single person climbs a large tree without a second person on the ground.

Contractor risk assessments

Risk assessments are the foundation of safe tree work, and they must be specific to the job. A generic document that could apply to any tree is of limited value. The assessment should identify the hazards on the particular site, such as overhead cables, a nearby road, a building in the fall zone or a root system that has been disturbed by previous work. It should record how each hazard will be controlled and who is responsible for checking that the control is in place.

The assessment should also reflect the method. Climbing a tree with a rope and harness has different hazards from working from a mobile elevating platform or a crane. Each method needs its own control measures, and a contractor who proposes to switch methods partway through the job should look again at the assessment before doing so. A commercial tree service carrying out work for a business or a site manager should be able to produce the assessment on request, along with the method statement that sets out how the work will be done.

What a client can reasonably ask for

A client does not need to become a health and safety expert to ask good questions. Start with the basics: does the contractor have public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance where it has staff? Does it hold recognised training for its climbers and operators? Will it show the risk assessment and method statement for the job? Can it explain the rescue arrangements? These are straightforward requests, and a reputable firm will answer them without difficulty.

Clients who are managing a site, such as a school, an office or a block of flats, have additional duties of their own. They should check the contractor's arrangements, keep a copy of the paperwork and make sure that the work area is kept clear of people while the tree is worked on. The compliance service can also help a site manager check whether the proposed method and paperwork meet the expected standard.

Where emergencies change the rules

Emergency work is not exempt from these rules. A tree that has come down across a road or a building still needs a plan, and the pressure of the situation makes that plan more important rather than less. Crews sometimes start work on a fallen tree before the site has been secured, and that is exactly when accidents happen. The sequence should be to secure the area, assess the hazards and then begin cutting, even if that takes a little longer than the owner would like.

The guide on emergency tree call-outs and cost factors in Exeter explains how the make-safe stage fits into the wider response. For work in a sensitive habitat, the guide on bats, birds and tree work in Exeter gardens sets out the wildlife checks that must happen before any climbing or cutting begins.

Building safety into the quote

The rules on tree work are demanding because the work itself is demanding. A good contractor plans the job, chooses equipment suited to the task, trains its people, prepares for a rescue and writes a risk assessment that matches the actual site. A client who asks the right questions and checks the paperwork is in a far better position to know that the work will be done safely. Exeter's older gardens, tight streets and mature trees make careful planning even more important, and a request for a written method before work begins is one of the most useful steps an owner can take. A quote request that describes the site and the trees is the easiest way to start that conversation.