TonyGTrees
ArboristSite Lurker
Hello All
I was observing a tree crew recently using a screamingly loud commercial wood chipper on the property where I rent a home. It surprised me that no one was wearing hearing protection. The crew members are mostly or entirely immigrants who speak every broken or no English. But I went out and tried to communicate with them. I had put on my own protective ear muffs and kept pointing to them and saying "protection." One of them answered, "In the truck" and thanked me. But he and the others kept working, guiding these huge branches or trunks into the machine, which was painfully loud with my protection.
I called the company owner who said that they have protection. But he said wood chippers are very dangerous and his workers feel safer working without it. Is this acceptable? Is it his responsibility to make sure they are using hearing protection, or is it okay that they don't? Do you or your crews ever forgo hearing protection when using a wood chipper? Is there ever a good reason not to wear it?
Incidentally, this is the same company that, in a post here in October (https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/commercial-wood-chippers-and-hearing-protection.359076/), I said was topping Norway spruces on a property where I'm renting a house.
The company just re-topped one and topped another towering spruce that's right next to the property owner's home, removing just the apical meristem, as far as I can tell. I asked the company owner about this, too. He answered: "I don't like topping any trees, but I have to keep my guys working." He added that if a tree gets too tall and the homeowner won't remove it, topping is better than doing nothing - which I know is not the industry position on this.
Now my landlady is angry at me for repeatedly warning her about the harmful effects of topping, as I learn more about it, and urging her to find another tree service, preferably one with a credentialed certified or consulting arborist. "Stay out of my business. I'm letting them do what they want to do," she told me. Oh, well, at least I'll be able to sleep at night if something bad happens. (None of these topped trees are in range of the house I rent, fortunately. But there is a beautiful Norway spruce right outside that she hasn't topped, at least not yet.)
Thank you!
Anthony Giorgianni
I was observing a tree crew recently using a screamingly loud commercial wood chipper on the property where I rent a home. It surprised me that no one was wearing hearing protection. The crew members are mostly or entirely immigrants who speak every broken or no English. But I went out and tried to communicate with them. I had put on my own protective ear muffs and kept pointing to them and saying "protection." One of them answered, "In the truck" and thanked me. But he and the others kept working, guiding these huge branches or trunks into the machine, which was painfully loud with my protection.
I called the company owner who said that they have protection. But he said wood chippers are very dangerous and his workers feel safer working without it. Is this acceptable? Is it his responsibility to make sure they are using hearing protection, or is it okay that they don't? Do you or your crews ever forgo hearing protection when using a wood chipper? Is there ever a good reason not to wear it?
Incidentally, this is the same company that, in a post here in October (https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/commercial-wood-chippers-and-hearing-protection.359076/), I said was topping Norway spruces on a property where I'm renting a house.
The company just re-topped one and topped another towering spruce that's right next to the property owner's home, removing just the apical meristem, as far as I can tell. I asked the company owner about this, too. He answered: "I don't like topping any trees, but I have to keep my guys working." He added that if a tree gets too tall and the homeowner won't remove it, topping is better than doing nothing - which I know is not the industry position on this.
Now my landlady is angry at me for repeatedly warning her about the harmful effects of topping, as I learn more about it, and urging her to find another tree service, preferably one with a credentialed certified or consulting arborist. "Stay out of my business. I'm letting them do what they want to do," she told me. Oh, well, at least I'll be able to sleep at night if something bad happens. (None of these topped trees are in range of the house I rent, fortunately. But there is a beautiful Norway spruce right outside that she hasn't topped, at least not yet.)
Thank you!
Anthony Giorgianni