Tree worker safety is a global concern.  The job, regardless of location, is among the highest risk occupations in the world with fatality rates often ten times that of other jobs such as police officer and firefighter.
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has commissioned a survey of safety standards and regulations that exist among the many countries in which tree workers perform their trade.  The survey is being conducted by Dr. John Ball who has conducted previous survey work on this subject in the United States.  The results of his investigation will be presented to the ISA’s International Safety Committee next year.
The survey has three parts.  The first part is a review of all national and regional safety standards and regulations that are available from the internet.  Many countries such as Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom have their industry standards and government regulations placed on the internet through their arboriculture associations and government departments covering worker safety.   The information from the web will be categorized on a spreadsheet so that comparisons can be among the various standards and regulations.
The second part of the survey will be a questionnaire sent to key arborists.   The key arborists are individuals within a country or ISA chapter that due to their occupation or experience are familiar with the local standards and regulations.  These individuals will be selected from names submitted by ISA staff, members of the International Safety Committee, officials of ISA chapters and Associate Organizations. There is no limit to the number of key arborists included in the survey from a country or chapter.  A web-based questionnaire will be send to each of the key arborists asking them to respond to questions regarding the observance and effectiveness of the various standards and regulations in their country.
The third part of the survey will be an examination of the industry injury statistics that are gathered by the various countries.  Not all countries collect such information, nor is the information often collected specifically for tree workers but may include other related trades such as landscapers.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
The ISC and Dr. Ball are seeking the input of Key Arborists, those who are familiar with present standards of safety in your own region and willing to respond to a series of questions in the on-line survey. Please contact either Dr. Ball; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Don Picker; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
If you are aware of someone in your region who you feel should be involved in this survey please inform them of the above and suggest that they also contact us.
Let’s work together to seriously make an impact on making our industry safer!

Don Picker, International Safety Committee Chair