Dave1960_Gorge
ArboristSite Operative
I have had a few dents from tree work in the last 12 years: cracked knee cartilage, rotator cuff damage, pruning hook hanging from my forearm — but I went for a ride just last Thursday that put me in the hospital till Tuesday.
ANSI Z133, 8.1.25: “The tie- in position shall be well above the work area so that the arborist shall not be affected by an uncontrolled pendulum swing in the event if a slip”.
Now, if you are doing a pruning or removal of a hardwood with a low wide crown, you have to address the unavoidable, which I though I was doing, right up until I snacked I to the trunk.
Ash, around 40 by 50 ft, actually had pruned it about 5 years earlier. Had poor firm after regrowing from ice storm damage. This time the homeowner wanted it way down, because they were eventually going to remove it but not just yet. So it was basically a removal but leaving about 15 ft of trunk and some low branches.
Moving right along, I was down to three spars, one with a pulley and load line and two with climbing ropes, each hitched to a ZigZag. Limb walked out the big low limb cutting branches; plan was to rig down the last three and then chunk it on the way back. My two ropes gave me nice stability: I could walk out, jabbing a spur here and there, working both ZigZags with one hand and flipping my wire core lanyard around the mostly vertical branches as I went.
Last branch: this time my lanyard was looped on a stub... you see where this is going. The second I pushed over the 30 ft branch, I fell back and seemingly at the same time felt my helmet smack into the main trunk 15 ft away.
I lowered myself another 6 ft to the ground, and decided to call it a day due to the bell ringing and my left leg feeling funny.
Long story short, I drove myself to the ER 3 1/2 hours later with my leg out the window resting on the rear view mirror because it wouldn’t bend, and was as hard as wood.
On the mend now, after 3 operations; 6-8 weeks and I might be climbing. Compartment Syndrome is no bueno; if more time has gone by before surgery, could have lost my leg.
If only I had choked the limb instead of looping the stub, I wouldn’t be trying to run my business from bed with my leg up.
Because I was paying into Workman’s Comp (as the owner of my LLC) state OSHA is involved. Guess I’ll see what happens.
looks better now.
ANSI Z133, 8.1.25: “The tie- in position shall be well above the work area so that the arborist shall not be affected by an uncontrolled pendulum swing in the event if a slip”.
Now, if you are doing a pruning or removal of a hardwood with a low wide crown, you have to address the unavoidable, which I though I was doing, right up until I snacked I to the trunk.
Ash, around 40 by 50 ft, actually had pruned it about 5 years earlier. Had poor firm after regrowing from ice storm damage. This time the homeowner wanted it way down, because they were eventually going to remove it but not just yet. So it was basically a removal but leaving about 15 ft of trunk and some low branches.
Moving right along, I was down to three spars, one with a pulley and load line and two with climbing ropes, each hitched to a ZigZag. Limb walked out the big low limb cutting branches; plan was to rig down the last three and then chunk it on the way back. My two ropes gave me nice stability: I could walk out, jabbing a spur here and there, working both ZigZags with one hand and flipping my wire core lanyard around the mostly vertical branches as I went.
Last branch: this time my lanyard was looped on a stub... you see where this is going. The second I pushed over the 30 ft branch, I fell back and seemingly at the same time felt my helmet smack into the main trunk 15 ft away.
I lowered myself another 6 ft to the ground, and decided to call it a day due to the bell ringing and my left leg feeling funny.
Long story short, I drove myself to the ER 3 1/2 hours later with my leg out the window resting on the rear view mirror because it wouldn’t bend, and was as hard as wood.
On the mend now, after 3 operations; 6-8 weeks and I might be climbing. Compartment Syndrome is no bueno; if more time has gone by before surgery, could have lost my leg.
If only I had choked the limb instead of looping the stub, I wouldn’t be trying to run my business from bed with my leg up.
Because I was paying into Workman’s Comp (as the owner of my LLC) state OSHA is involved. Guess I’ll see what happens.
looks better now.