Protocols for wearing spikes

I wasn 't trying to propose a OSHA or ANSI regulation. Just trying to find out what guidelines people are following in their companies. I've never read any discussion about what we would consider common sense.

My standard would vary depending on the ground condition. If the area was grass covered, level and with no ropes to dance over I would have no problem walking several steps. If the area was strewn with sticks that would be a tripping hazard, the spikes come off right after the climbing rope. Stepping over logs or walking stairs is out of the question.

Frans,

What is your standard?


The fella who stabbed a spike into his foot, near the big toe I think, and got lucky. I'd like to have a better understanding of exactly what happened but he never filled out an accident report. That prompted me to wonder what others do.

After talking with some other folks and reading these replies it seems like a good policy to set a two step on the ground rule.
 
My standard is to practice common sense, and to make every attempt to not hurt myself on the job. When I see, on my jobsite, someone doing something that could be dangerous, I stop activities and talk about it with them. It is all about doing the job safely and going home at the end of the day healthy and sound. Otherwise the work is just not worth it.
 
Gaff awareness shouldn't end on the ground.. I've had way more close calls in the tree and spiking my rope a couple of times too. I hate that...
 
I do not agree with a two step rule. I agree more with frans and common sense.

I know of a guy who was putting on his spikes at the base of a tree. It was a storm damaged tree that had a large broken limb hung up on the roof of a building. well his boss started cutting on it and it came down on top of him and pinned him to the ground. He wound up getting recontructive facial surgery. he was following the 2 step rule but did not practice common sense.

Lets say you do a decent size removal and have the guys stack some brush so you don't break the concrete when chunking the wood. by the time you get down there is nothing but a mess at the base of the tree. so the safest place to take your gear off is 10 -20 steps away.

On a job with multiple removals will you take your gaffs off to walk across the yard to the next tree? i know i won't.

I've even been guilty of driving to a job around the block with them on.

Do we really need a rule about this?
 
Cityclimber,

the fella who got pinned should never have been in the dropzone...two step rule or not. This is an example where a cascading decision making process needs to be followed. The highest hazard is addressed first.

The climber in question here was walking around on a job, stepped over some brush, bobbled a step and stabbed himself. Walking around in brush is a good way to expose your feet to a skewering. Why?

Driving??? I don't think that I can comment on that wrong idea...

When I operated my [small] company I could have guidelines that would have flexibility because I had more oversight about the work conditions. The bigger the company, and more crews, the more a 'knife edge' rule makes sense. This eliminates all of the discussion of the grey areas where accidents happen.
 
When I actually am forced to wear spurs I can't stand wearing them any longer than I have to but I'm not going to follow any rule for how long I can wear them when I do hit the ground. Most of the time I'm just getting away from the tree so the ground crew can do their thing.

My most dangerous spur incident was when I took my saddle off without removing spurs first and then had the spurs hang up on each other and I fell over with my saddle around my ankles. The ground crew enjoyed that one.

The thing that would help prevent any of this discussion is if people would stop wearing those ridiculous long spurs. Even here in the northwest where we have sequoias with spongy bark, douglas firs with 3" thick bark that sloughs off, I always wear pole gaffs and rarely if ever have one come out. It would take effort to gaff yourself with those little things. My boss who climbed on long gaffs for almost 30 years swithced to short spikes this year and he says he can't believe he climbed on those things for so many years.
 
MB I twinkle toe around too!

Shra - did the same thing - came down out of a spruce - cut the notch & backcut (with my hooks on)- Oh Sh___! groundie couldn't pull her -- ran over and helped pull and spiked him! he was pissed!

Never spiked myself though . . . . . knock on wood

Common sense seems the rule on this issue
 
I typically put the gaffs on just prior to ascent. I strap on the gaffs, clip my saw in and start up-the rope is already set and my hitch tied but I might clip thebiners in AFTER strapping on the gaffs. When I get down I step clear of my lines and unstrap the gaffs. I have indeed walked over to the next tree but that is the exception -far from the "rule".
 
[ QUOTE ]
MB I twinkle toe around too!

Shra - did the same thing - came down out of a spruce - cut the notch & backcut (with my hooks on)- Oh Sh___! groundie couldn't pull her -- ran over and helped pull and spiked him! he was pissed!

Never spiked myself though . . . . . knock on wood

Common sense seems the rule on this issue

[/ QUOTE ]

The first spike accident i have seen was my dads :) at the age of 6.

He was climbing a big oak for removal and when lifting his foot up a branch he stepped/spiked into his own hand /forum/images/graemlins/9lame.gif

btw, when there's a lot off mess down a tree (like a pile for catching big wood) i throw my spikes down before descending the tree. Who needs spikes to get down? If i chunk all the way down i remove the spikes and ropes first thing on ground and then start on the last two meters.

And for the common sense rule, I may have some common sense but i dont count on the common sense of the groundies. the times i do the most f(peep)ups are made i noticed.
 
I never had A huge gaffing accident when I was first learning I gaffed out and the spike slide down my shine. That was about it. I do the twinkle toes when I go from the truck to the tree at first but If I have been on them all day I start doing the john Wayne impression.

Most of my climbs are gaff climbs, and I am sorry to say sometimes when I came down I do drag brush in them. Yesterday I caught my gaff in my chapps but I think that was just crappy set of chaps more then the gaff.

I dont know if there should be regs, Just because the same accedents we are truely worried about can happen in the tree. I seen people Gaff their toes, feet, calf, hands, I even seen a guy get it in the top of the knee, all in a tree.

But I could see were they would be useful walking over a wood pile when its raining, maybee I wouldn't have cut my toes with a saw if I had them on. /forum/images/graemlins/damnmate.gif
 
I have both longs and shorts, depends on the tree which I use, but I do prefer the shorts however they do skid out a lot on the chunky bark on some eucs and wattles.

I wonder why they dont make a medium gaff, in between the long and short in size?

The short ones are thinner and sharper, they just go in a lot easier, there's more to it than the length. And when you file the long gaffs down some they get thicker and tend to skid out more, even though they are sharp.
 
I still find spurs to be uncomfortable. I don't like putting them on, taking them off or wearing them. I plan the work so that they go on once and come off once per job. I'll wear them on the ground only if I'm walking to the next tree that requires them. Otherwise I take them off and try to forget I've got another take down that day.

Jesus, If I cut-and-chuck one more spruce I'm going to shoot myself.
 
I recon from what ive seen climbers do ,they become clint eastwood or john wayne walkin around with spikes on pretending they where spurs,or is that just me?

I hate the bloody things, never put them on unless i have too or they come straight off when done,Brock2saws is right they are uncomftable espicially my bashlins that where replacments for the kliens i had stolen.
The kliens had tiny pole gaffs on,the bashlins i would say where medium,compared to the 3-4 inch gaffs my dad has some were deep in his work shop.
 
I did not steal the spikes !,thieving pikey's did along with a timberwolf chipper and £18k's worth of saws and climbing kit and other bits and pieces.....they where in containers with abbloy locks and armour around them... we have a slight problem with members of the travelling fraturnity in england and there liking for stealing tree stuff.
They seem to realy like the wolf chippers that was the second one we had stolen from us,and both had trackrs fitted, they left the vermeer chipper and 252 grinder and the uni mogs 9 inch farmi alone and they where not evan locked up.
 
I'm fairly new to wearin' spikes, and I tippy toe as well. So I don't have them on too long. I learned a lesson in wearing them out of the tree. Actually the guy workin' groundie for me learned...

We were takin' a short lunch break. I was sittin' on a low stump we had just did on the removal with my legs stretched out in front of me. I had my right leg crossed over my left and still had the spikes on.

Groundie guy was walkin' in front of me and clipped his outer ankle on my gaff. I use the longer gaffs for the conifers I climb. Speared him right through his boot.

So now I take them off when I am out of the tree. Period.

Gary
 
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