Raven
Branched out member
- Location
- Northwoods
Hello all amazing tree people,
At the bottom of this post you'll find a link to a Gofundme please click the link for specific details and help out a family in need if you have the capacity to do so. I know this isn't the only Gofundme out there for a similar situation but just the most recent one that I'm personally aware of, and I know there are way too many families hurting because a loved one has been injured on the job.
In general I'd like to address an all too common issue in our industry and that is experienced technicians getting seriously injured on the job due to rushing and complacency. This has been occurring with greater frequency lately and I fear the trend will continue unless we all take steps to remediate the root causes. There is no good reason to end up in the hospital trying to earn a paycheck while performing a service for a person you may not even know. Our workplace should not be comparable to a battlefield or contact sporting event where you start your day with the realization that you may be injured or worse before it's over. We need to be able to head off to work leaving our families with the comfort and knowledge that we'll be home safely at day's end - there should be no question about that, they deserve that peace of mind. Now when you're in your car on the freeway, in an airplane, even on vacation or a camping trip - these are times when you have very little control over outcomes mostly due to the wildly unpredictable actions of your fellow humans and the fickle nature of nature itself. However, when we are on our jobsite - this is a time when we can and should have almost absolute control over predictable and safe outcomes. In fact, aside from being safe in your own home, the workplace should be one of the the safest and most manageable environments you'll see on a daily basis.
Some of the underlying factors include:
- A shortage of skilled technicians and even unskilled laborers - this leads to folks working longer hours, 6-7 day work weeks, taking on more responsibilities, working unsupervised or unassisted or even alone, and attempting tasks they're untrained and unprepared for.
- Overloaded schedules - there just aren't enough tree companies to handle the workload that is being imposed on our industry at this moment in time. Homeowners have been spending more time in their yards and spending less money elsewhere so "call the tree company", trees are dying due to insect, diseases and environmental factors so "call the tree company", extreme weather events creating mega storms so you have to "call the tree company".
- Dead and hazard trees - these come in all species and I fear that due to the industry as a whole "getting behind" as it were, we'll have these dead hazard trees standing on the stump longer than they should and becoming weaker and more dangerous over time increasing risk to workers when they do eventually get there.
- Weather. It's out of our control but we have to function inside the parameters provided by nature. Currently it's been HOT everywhere leading to a bunch of heat exhaustion episodes that I am personally aware of. For some reason people tend to push themselves to get a job done whether it's out of personal pride or to impress their employer or customer or they just would rather be done so taking a break is a bad option for them.
- Cranes. We've been using these for tree removal on a more frequent basis lately because they're really "efficiency machines". Not inherently dangerous unless we use them wrong. They have huge benefits to our industry but also increase the potential severity of unintended outcomes in the event of an accident. There's pretty much no margin for error so plan accordingly when using them.
- Urban expansion - here in MN we're fortunate to have many forested areas to enjoy nature and wildlife but at the same time we see new developments housing and roads moving into these forests once again increasing our workloads as tree professionals.
- New tree companies - or established landscape companies adding tree work to their services. Where are they finding skilled labor?
- Supply chain issues - this may be a smaller problem overall but still an underlying factor that has lead to equipment being unusable or used in disrepair and also adding a frustrating stressor to company owners and workers alike.
All of these factors and others have resulted in a situation that is potentially even more hazardous than ever if ignored and unchecked. Here are some ways we can alleviate this problem and keep ourselves safe at work although not a complete list and I encourage you to come up with your own innovative solutions.
1) Slow down! Rushing is a killer and this ain't a race. You'll get done what you get done and be happy with that. If you have to finish a job tomorrow then so be it. Take a break when you need one.
2) Manage customer expectations on the front end, don't promise too much. This will give you freedom to work at your own pace.
3) Don't work beyond your capacity or skill level or let others do so.
4) Manage and control your worksite from the moment you arrive. An extra 5 minutes of planning on the front end of a job can really increase efficiency and save time overall plus help you avoid unplanned events(accidents). In the culinary world this is referred to as
"mise en place", it means having everything prepared and ready BEFORE you start cooking to ensure a positive outcome.
5) Communicate! With your team members and all involved in the current project. Everyone on site should be continually monitoring the situation and sharing information. Extra eyes and brains are always helpful.
6) Don't take shortcuts. Example: Always tie in twice with a lanyard AND a rope long enough to get you safely to the ground! Just one example there are many times during a workday when you'll be tempted to take a shortcut so you can be a little faster - that doesn't always work out and if you mess up, well just read the link below. Weigh the risk vs. benefit in your head before you decide to save 10 seconds that may change your life forever.
That's not an exclusive or extensive list so please add your own ideas in order to make your own workplace safer.
I'll close there I think I've said enough for now to hopefully get us all thinking and point the needle in the right direction. Please feel free to reply with your own thoughts on the subject and share the message as you see fit. Everybody please be safe out there and assure your families you'll be home safe at the end of the day. Check out Jessi's story at the bottom, help him out if you can and let's please not have to keep doing this!
Sincerely and respectfully -
Just another tree guy
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jessi-ernst-medical-expenses
At the bottom of this post you'll find a link to a Gofundme please click the link for specific details and help out a family in need if you have the capacity to do so. I know this isn't the only Gofundme out there for a similar situation but just the most recent one that I'm personally aware of, and I know there are way too many families hurting because a loved one has been injured on the job.
In general I'd like to address an all too common issue in our industry and that is experienced technicians getting seriously injured on the job due to rushing and complacency. This has been occurring with greater frequency lately and I fear the trend will continue unless we all take steps to remediate the root causes. There is no good reason to end up in the hospital trying to earn a paycheck while performing a service for a person you may not even know. Our workplace should not be comparable to a battlefield or contact sporting event where you start your day with the realization that you may be injured or worse before it's over. We need to be able to head off to work leaving our families with the comfort and knowledge that we'll be home safely at day's end - there should be no question about that, they deserve that peace of mind. Now when you're in your car on the freeway, in an airplane, even on vacation or a camping trip - these are times when you have very little control over outcomes mostly due to the wildly unpredictable actions of your fellow humans and the fickle nature of nature itself. However, when we are on our jobsite - this is a time when we can and should have almost absolute control over predictable and safe outcomes. In fact, aside from being safe in your own home, the workplace should be one of the the safest and most manageable environments you'll see on a daily basis.
Some of the underlying factors include:
- A shortage of skilled technicians and even unskilled laborers - this leads to folks working longer hours, 6-7 day work weeks, taking on more responsibilities, working unsupervised or unassisted or even alone, and attempting tasks they're untrained and unprepared for.
- Overloaded schedules - there just aren't enough tree companies to handle the workload that is being imposed on our industry at this moment in time. Homeowners have been spending more time in their yards and spending less money elsewhere so "call the tree company", trees are dying due to insect, diseases and environmental factors so "call the tree company", extreme weather events creating mega storms so you have to "call the tree company".
- Dead and hazard trees - these come in all species and I fear that due to the industry as a whole "getting behind" as it were, we'll have these dead hazard trees standing on the stump longer than they should and becoming weaker and more dangerous over time increasing risk to workers when they do eventually get there.
- Weather. It's out of our control but we have to function inside the parameters provided by nature. Currently it's been HOT everywhere leading to a bunch of heat exhaustion episodes that I am personally aware of. For some reason people tend to push themselves to get a job done whether it's out of personal pride or to impress their employer or customer or they just would rather be done so taking a break is a bad option for them.
- Cranes. We've been using these for tree removal on a more frequent basis lately because they're really "efficiency machines". Not inherently dangerous unless we use them wrong. They have huge benefits to our industry but also increase the potential severity of unintended outcomes in the event of an accident. There's pretty much no margin for error so plan accordingly when using them.
- Urban expansion - here in MN we're fortunate to have many forested areas to enjoy nature and wildlife but at the same time we see new developments housing and roads moving into these forests once again increasing our workloads as tree professionals.
- New tree companies - or established landscape companies adding tree work to their services. Where are they finding skilled labor?
- Supply chain issues - this may be a smaller problem overall but still an underlying factor that has lead to equipment being unusable or used in disrepair and also adding a frustrating stressor to company owners and workers alike.
All of these factors and others have resulted in a situation that is potentially even more hazardous than ever if ignored and unchecked. Here are some ways we can alleviate this problem and keep ourselves safe at work although not a complete list and I encourage you to come up with your own innovative solutions.
1) Slow down! Rushing is a killer and this ain't a race. You'll get done what you get done and be happy with that. If you have to finish a job tomorrow then so be it. Take a break when you need one.
2) Manage customer expectations on the front end, don't promise too much. This will give you freedom to work at your own pace.
3) Don't work beyond your capacity or skill level or let others do so.
4) Manage and control your worksite from the moment you arrive. An extra 5 minutes of planning on the front end of a job can really increase efficiency and save time overall plus help you avoid unplanned events(accidents). In the culinary world this is referred to as
"mise en place", it means having everything prepared and ready BEFORE you start cooking to ensure a positive outcome.
5) Communicate! With your team members and all involved in the current project. Everyone on site should be continually monitoring the situation and sharing information. Extra eyes and brains are always helpful.
6) Don't take shortcuts. Example: Always tie in twice with a lanyard AND a rope long enough to get you safely to the ground! Just one example there are many times during a workday when you'll be tempted to take a shortcut so you can be a little faster - that doesn't always work out and if you mess up, well just read the link below. Weigh the risk vs. benefit in your head before you decide to save 10 seconds that may change your life forever.
That's not an exclusive or extensive list so please add your own ideas in order to make your own workplace safer.
I'll close there I think I've said enough for now to hopefully get us all thinking and point the needle in the right direction. Please feel free to reply with your own thoughts on the subject and share the message as you see fit. Everybody please be safe out there and assure your families you'll be home safe at the end of the day. Check out Jessi's story at the bottom, help him out if you can and let's please not have to keep doing this!
Sincerely and respectfully -
Just another tree guy
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jessi-ernst-medical-expenses
