Worker Responsibility

An employee must:

arborist” means a person trained and employed, in whole or in part, to climb trees for an economic or scientific purpose, including any of the following:

  • detecting and treating disease, infections or infestations,
  • pruning, spraying or trimming,
  • repairing damaged trees,
  • assessing growth or harvesting potential;

[N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 21.1]

Climbing rope or strap criteria

(i) it provides additional stability,

(ii) it provides back-up fall protection,

(iii) it is capable of withstanding the greater of the following:

(A) 2 times the maximum load likely to be on it,

(B) a load of 22 kN.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 21.10(1)(b)]

Arborist actions before climbing

Arborists must do all of the following before climbing in a work area:

(a) visually assess the structural stability of the tree;

(b) select and assess the safest path of ascent;

(c) select an appropriate crotch position as a work area.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 21.10(2)]

Arborist actions while working in a tree

(a) wherever practicable, work from a crotch position with the fall-arrest system secured to an anchorage above the crotch position;

(b) when changing crotch positions, remain secured by the fall-arrest system to the anchorage for the previous crotch position until secured by the fall-arrest system to the anchorage for the next crotch position;

(c) not change crotch positions without selecting the next crotch position in advance;

(e)* ensure that slack only occurs in ropes or lines that are part of the fall-arrest system, if it is

(i) essential to the performance of the work, and

(ii) no greater than is consistent with the safe performance of the work;

(d)* not climb above an anchorage unless secured by another fall-arrest system secured at or above the level of the arborist;

(g)* not work in crews of fewer than 2;

(h)* have at least 1 crew member remain on the ground at the work area;

(f)* when transferring from an elevating work-platform to a tree, remain attached to an anchorage on the work-platform by way of a fall-arrest system until secured to an anchorage on the tree by way of a fall-arrest system.

[*Clause lettering as in original.]

[N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 21.10(3)]

Specified work-platforms:

  • Portable, self-propelled, and self-propelled boom-supported elevating work-platforms, or
  • Elevating work-platforms used for fire-fighting.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 23.13(4)]

 

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