Taking a fall

A

arborer

I wanted to start a thread about falling out of trees. Is it the more you climb without a fall, the more likely you will have an accident? Is it really just a matter of time? Who's taken a fall and is willing to share?
 
Dude I took a fall and I don't think it's a matter of time at all. Many people go their whole career and never encounter even EXPOSURE to a fall. I think more now than ever before. The risk taking for production sake, the proving your willingness to take chances in the air, the pressure from people on the ground to "get it done"...all being phased out as pase' bra. All that nonsense is OUT. Building people's self confidence, sharing techniques to keep each other safe, showing we care through a form of intolerence of safety violations in the air...is IN. I hope you maintain your healthy awareness and do a deliberate visual check of every connection you create in your system. Constantly inspect the trees you climb. Always listen to and consider other's imput and keep doing what you did when you started the thread...find out what others are doing and not doing. More later if you want. Climb from your heart. Whiz
 
Never fell completely out of a tree, but I did take about a 15 foot fall because I didn't take the slack out of my line. Blame it on productivity.
 
First year working for myself. Worst tree of my career still. Totally thrown off my game by an argument with the clients neighbour. The owner of my drop zone. No blower, he wanted my girlfriend to sweep up but not use his broom. Job was done, all I had to do was retrieve a high block and I was out of there. Gross scary job gross neighbor. Screwed right up at the top of the footlock couldn't figure out where to put the fig8 for the trip down. Started screwing with the prussic and went for the 60' slide. The old just let go and you'll stop, running through my head the whole way. Just missed a pointy picket fence at the bottom and sprained my ankle. No focus that day. And now I realize you have to be nice to all people out there when working, or I wouldn't of been mad. It costs and can hurt. Kept working the next day though. Also had a scare again with the 8 in winter. Heavy jacket big mitts fumble. Caught that one immediatly though.
 
I would have taken a fall but didn't because of being tied in twice.
I was rigging a post oak with my dad who had no experience rigging and I wasn't real experienced then either. Any way I had my lanyard above the block and friction saver below like I normally do.
Dad let one piece run a little too fast and somehow when the piece came to bear, my lanyard came down onto the running line. It burned through without me knowing it and I leaned back into my lanyard and I saw two ends come around each side of the tree! Only went back 6" or so. Compared to what it could be I was thankful I spent the extra time to be safe!
BOOYA!
 
There are some things that are for certain in tree work and some that (shall not) ever happen and that is fall out of a tree.

It is for certain you'll cut yourself with a handsaw or even maybe a chainsaw, but if you fall out of a tree, it's usually because someone wasn't paying attention or not having the proper training.
 
I took a fall two years ago. I'm not sure how high I was, my guess is between 25 and 30t feet. I was tied in and had my lanyard on but... the whole tree snapped about eight feet from the ground. I ended up braking six ribs, getting a concussion and puncturing one of my lungs. I was very lucky I was standing on the lowest branch of this post oak and that I fell on freshly laid sod, I missed a concrete patio by about four feet too. I could have inspected the trunk better but to be honest it was a very deceiving tree. Needless to say I am very cautious now when i climb post oaks.
 
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Dude I took a fall and I don't think it's a matter of time at all. Many people go their whole career and never encounter even EXPOSURE to a fall. I think more now than ever before. The risk taking for production sake, the proving your willingness to take chances in the air, the pressure from people on the ground to "get it done"...all being phased out as pase' bra. All that nonsense is OUT. Building people's self confidence, sharing techniques to keep each other safe, showing we care through a form of intolerence of safety violations in the air...is IN. I hope you maintain your healthy awareness and do a deliberate visual check of every connection you create in your system. Constantly inspect the trees you climb. Always listen to and consider other's imput and keep doing what you did when you started the thread...find out what others are doing and not doing. More later if you want. Climb from your heart. Whiz

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I needed that right about now.
Thanks man.
 
A good pre-climbing inspection, and pull testing of questionable trees will help a lot to avoid this.

Double tie-ins with frequently inspected gear is important.

Being able to take a break, or call a day short if things warrant will go a long way for safety.

Good sleep, eats, fluids, and taking care of one's self help judgment a LOT.

Ego doesn't.

A walk past a rehab ward at a hospital can be a good reminder of our lack of invincibility. I volunteer at one for a semester in college when I was looking at becoming a physical therapist.

Desperation to make the money to pay the bills is a good precursor to an accident.

Hope is nothing to rely on. Take the time to be sure.

Frustration and stress can be a killer, in the short term and long term.

Be safe in all matters, including climbing. The local accidents that I'm aware of in Olympia include one electrocution (I heard about, second hand), one nearly cut- off thumb in a bucket, one truck rollover with facial paralysis (don't know other outcomes or longevity of paralysis), guy working with one hand (while hand was healing from cut) was pushing stuff in giant chipper with foot. A friend of my wife got hit by falling wood at a construction job--brain injury.


Be safety -minded in all matters.
 
I fell once. Decided to tie in a bit further out on a horizontal limb, just a quick descent for lunch. The branch broke, fell about 15 feet. God allowed an oleander bush to break my fall. Not a scratch, but scary.

NEVER ignore that little voice in your head that says somethings not right......
 
The worst fall out of a tree I experienced was when I was about 12 years old.
smirk.gif
I was in the top of a small pine. Maybe the height of the chimney. I had a brilliant idea to jump the next tree close by. As I sprang up and down on the lateral branch I planned to count to 3 to then jump. 1-2-3 and broke the branch I was standing on and tumbled through the branches below to then land on my butt. It knocked out the wind in me. That was it.

As a pro. Not yet. As time goes by, does it increase the risk of a fall? Sure, if I think I'm God's gift to humanity and I think I'm the best climber in the world. But, if I respect sound safety proceedures (and do them), I should stay safe and avoid a fall all together. --Knock on wood!
 
Rule number one for being a tree climber....NEVER FALL.
Rule number two if you do fall never fall again!!!
nuff said.
 
Haven't fallen out of a tree yet, but slipped off of a steep-pitched roof trying to get a hung up branch. Landed flat on my back, knocked the wind outa me and my neck has never been the same.
 
February '95, logging with horses, boss said finish one more and we could move the whole op to another section. A little too much hinge blowin a top out caused the butt to catch my lanyard (I was on irons) which smacked me into the trunk pretty good. Like concussion good. Kept working the double leads out (though I don't remember). At about 28 foot I notched and threw one leader then the other. Never took my climbing line off the second lead. Followed it into the pile of wood at the base of the tree. Learned alot from that... probably most important was don't work alone. The ground people were kinda scattered through the forest skidding logs out which left the climbers on their own for extended periods. Been very safe ever since.
 
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Haven't fallen out of a tree yet, but slipped off of a steep-pitched roof trying to get a hung up branch. Landed flat on my back, knocked the wind outa me and my neck has never been the same.

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I've been afraid of doing that.
 
a very humbling moment,, rained all saturday, did a bucket removal in the morning with some access and a pretty good drop zone ,,Large three stem willow.. had two guys running the chipper, the ropes and the log truck, done paid,, next job,, a back yard pine removal over three fences,,, simple spike up, set a line, and lower the brush until we can put the wood on the ground,,, now its really raining,, spiked up bucked strapped in, and set two lines one for me and one for the brush,,lowering was a chore lots of up and down because the 60 footer had a ton of brush,, a third of the way through the climb my prussic wasnt running right,, i also never feel really comfortable on spikes and on a rope... i was taught a long time ago to use your buckstrap and your spikes,, thats all you need,,,, i agree,, but these limbs need to come out just right,, "three fences",,, my distel got stuck a dozen times,, i chocked it up to the weather and the sap from the brushey pine. feed up with the distel hitch,, i went old school ,, right to the blakes,,, raining two guys waiting for brush, and im switching systems,,, tied the blakes set it ,,, i thought i loaded it,, did a couple small chores,, took the buck strap off,, and sat in my seat,, i was surprised when i found my self speed rapeling from 30 ft i tried to grab my tail but i landed on my feet fast, tied in,, white as a ghost , the neighbor came out and gave my a charm,its something cathloic ,, , i climb every day with it its never more than a yard away from me i wont put it on my saddle because im scared to lose it..
 
It was about 3 years ago when I fell 15' out of a tree. Most of the impact took it my hard hat.
I was ascending the tree with my double Kongs ascenders without a backup,I did that for about 6 months.
There were a lot of factors that contribute to this accident; rushing,not doing a test on the ground,not using a backup(prussic/two ropes)and had done it before many times without any incidents.
 
Three :(

1
The hemp three strand, goes back decades :), broke when I was about three feet from the ground. Dusted off my jeans and got a new rope. This was years before I learned about rope inspection and aging ropes. The only rope I ever broke in a tree.
2
Burr oak, doubled rope was draped into a limb crotch that was about 4”, the parent limb was about 5+”. By now I had learned about bounce testing. Five feet up and the limb peeled. Not a fast rip but I thumped the ground…right next to a spiky fence!!! No injury. From then on…never placed a TIP around a limb, only the trunk.
3
Doing climbing for oak wilt research. Red oak that had survived a ground fire through the woods the season before. The very lowest twigs got scorched/burned. My TIP was high, around a 4+” upright limb that was very vertical. I did several bounces with my SRT line anchored to the trunk so I was multiplying my load. By this time my SRT ascent was smooth with little bounce. About 15’ up I heard a funny noise, looked up and saw the limb peeling slowly. I had time to get flattened out and a bit vertical to take the landing better. In seconds I was on the ground, flat out and looking at the sky. My body inventory started…eyeballs…ears…fingers wiggle…toes wiggle…on up my limbs…no pains. When I moved my rt arm it bumped a 1” spike sticking up about 12”. An ax or machete had been used to clear the brush. If I had fallen inched to the rt. I would have gotten it through my lung. We were deep in a wild life refuge far from an ambulance and maybe even cell service. I was 100% OK…no aches or pains. When I got into the tree I found that the wood had been affected by the fire. It was dry and brittle. The bounce test had fractured the main limb vertically then failed when I climbed.

All of these can be chalked up as ‘learning by experience’, not good experiences. Most of my early education was done by myself without being around anyone who knew more than me. Along the way I got involved in the profession to learn and share knowledge. Having the Internet is the most valuable way to share and become better arborists.
 
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