Climbing in Germany Outlawed?

Mark Chisholm

Mark Chisholm

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Anyone read the article in March issue of TCI Magazine regarding Tree Work in Germany? Does anyone have knowledge of the mention of tree climbning being "phased out" and that you need a special "permit to climb a tree"?
 
I read that too Mark.

Maybe Nathan(treetx) can enlighten us on the subject being he lives there.

All platform work, and climbing by permit under special conditions only. Sounds odd huh?
 
Don't know nothing about it, but it comes to mind that the safety Nazis (figurative derogatory term) may have been pushing for a second safety line and they couldn't find any middle ground with the folks who actually do the work opposing the concept.
 
Sounds like Leo had a nice trip to Europe. Most trees are pollarded? Some towns do, some towns don't. Leo clearly does not have an accurate source of information perhaps supplied to him by his employer, Teupen Lift. He also missed facts about required protection. Full body kevlar? We are just required to use pants or chaps when using a chainsaw.

Actually it is being phased in. It was not legal to climb a tree with a chainsaw here until 2001. Before then the lion's share of tree work was being done by climbers from the UK or when I climbed here in 99, Germans as well.

I climb daily. We are required to be certified to climb.

With climbing being allowed in 2001, courses are required. The 1st course is SKT A (rope climbing technique)it is just a climbing course. Then there is the SKT B, climbing with chainsaw and AR in the outer canopy.

Suppose I should quit criticizing and up and write my own article.... /forum/images/graemlins/type.gif

BTW - Teupen makes a nice lift!!!!!
 
That sounds more like it, I know most of us started climbing by working for family or small run business. As I get older and see all the realy dump stuff people do when they climb trees there should be some sort of training before people are allowed to climb professionally.
 
Nathan,

Does it appear that the wage is increased because of the training? Are there still a lot of fly by night types?
 
It definitely pays more than in the states.

But a lot of the UK guys left since there is a glut of climbers from all of the climbing schools. Still lots of work to be had since there aren't always a lot of climbers with experience.

Fly by night types...yeah, they are here too. We are require to work in teams of 2 climbers at all times. I break that rule at times. I am still yet to see anybody that follows all of the rules all of the time...
 

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Sounds like Nate is saying it was outlawed but is being phased in for those with proper schooling. I guess my first reply just goes to show I'm a "glass half empty" kind of guy at times...
 
I just wonder how many of us would be doing tree
work if we were not allowed to climb. This thread just proves
that it is a good thing to get our information from more than one source. Thanks Nathan.
 
Yeah Nathan is right there on that subject, so I dont need to para-phrase him now.

Scotty

Nathan what is the employers fine here in Germany, for not having his climbers SKT trained, just a question.
 
also in Italy in the last period we have a lot of problems
cause the goverment try to oblagize the climber to use 3 safety line and the law don't make difference beetween different work on rope(building ,trees,cleaning window..etc),but us with the association reach the target and we have convinced the goverment to considered tree climbing like a specific work and now they make a new rule where we are allowed to use our tecnik ,
 
I don't buy the 10-20yrs ahead unless they mean in regulations. As far as work being done, I would say many in the states are ahead.

As to the fine, I haven't a clue. Most people I know here work independent.....probably like you at Freelance. I think the gray area comes in with the garden companies that do a lot of tree work. I don't think the gartenbau berufsgenossenschaft will insure you if you don't have the SKT A and B, thus there in lies the hook. There are other insurers but none so affordable.

Big problem I see with the increased regs is they seem to ramp up regs even when they weren't able to achieve compliance with the old regs. I think it is so they can make it easier to weasel out of insurance claims or it is simply that regs are made by people in offices, far away from trees.

Did you read the last letter from the GB berufsgenossenschaft? It said there are about 1100 certified climbers in Germany (pop. 80million).
 
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