Solo climbing rules

[dmonn]

I am a homeowner with a lot of tree work experience and knowledge but not a working arborist. I have done some level of pruning and / or removal at least weekly for the last 3 or 4 years, and have climbed for about half of them. I am currently taking a course to review for the Arborist certification exam, though I know I am not eligible to take the exam (lack of full time work experience). I’m taking it just to learn more about arboriculture. I’m retired so I get to do this for fun.

In my last class we covered a lot about ANSI Standards. It sounded like having a second person present who can climb is a requirement if climbing is involved. I only do tree work for myself, family and friends, and I do it for free. Is it true that legally I would need to have a second climber on site? I have been doing essentially all my tree work solo.

 

[treesap]

so long as you dont have a business, ANSI wont regulate what you do, although it is best to follow their regulations, a second climber is always a great idea, but its not illegal to climb without one

 

[Reach]

So the ANSI standard is interesting, in that it is not actually enforceable - it is simply a standard, not actually a legal requirement. A body of enforcement might adopt it as enforceable and require it to be observed, but by itself it is only a guideline that is typically followed by those with enough sense to care about not only what they are doing, but how they are doing it.

 

[27RMT0N]

Even OSHA doesn't apply to everyone:

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf

"Not Covered under the OSH Act

- Self-employed
- Immediate family members of farm employers; and
- Workplace hazards regulated by another federal agency (for example, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Energy, or the
Coast Guard)."

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Here's a simple way to differentiate OSHA and ANSI that I came up with.

First, they are workplace regulations as Reach says. In a civil lawsuit both could be used as examples of showing what is 'right' and 'accepted' even if you're not in a workplace situation.

OK...here we go...

ANSI is like your sports coach. You choose to break a team rule. What happens? Your coach benches you of you might get booted off the team. No legal ramifications, just team rules.

OSHA is The Law...Federal Law too. Who in their right mind is going to fight with a Federal Marshall?

But this is about enforcement of regs. ANSI Z133 has been written by arborists and industry professionals. The rules are written in blood.

 

[Chaplain242]

If self employed it’s your risk.

If your an employer, and you employ a climber, with no second climber available, if something happens and the employee sues saying he would have kept a limb if he had been rescued earlier than the fire department or contract climber was able to, and workplace was clearly violating industry rules, there may or may not be a case to answer.

if you get a contract climber? Is it his responsibility to have a rescuer available, or employers...?

How many contract climbers have a second climber with them?

 

[Naturarbo]

not many,I know none