Arboricultural Applications: Canopy Work, Rigging, and Tree-Side Positioning
Tree work adds dead wood, saws, rigging loads, and a canopy that changes the lift's environment minute to minute. ANSI Z133 is the governing safety standard.
Canopy positioning
- Set up so the platform is outside the drop zone of the limbs being removed; plan the escape route so the boom can reverse quickly.
- Never place the platform under a limb being rigged or cut by a climber above.
- Chain saws: two-handed operation, saw off and secured when the platform moves, and a lanyard on the saw.
- Do not use the platform, rails, or boom as a rigging anchor or a pull point. Rigging loads are dynamic and can shock-load the boom.
- Keep ropes clear of the platform's path and never run a rigging line through the platform.
Fall protection detail
Attach the lanyard to the platform's designated anchor only. Tying to the tree while standing in the platform creates a crush and shock-load hazard if the lift moves or the tree shifts.
Line clearance
Line-clearance tree work is a separate qualification under 1910.269: an A92.2 insulated device with a current dielectric test, qualified line-clearance arborists, cover-up, and qualified-person approach distances.
Worked example
A dead oak limb hangs over the platform's access line. The crew wants to nudge it with the basket to make it fall. Wrong: contacting a dead limb can drop it onto the platform. Reposition the lift outside the drop zone and remove the limb with a throw line and pole saw.
Traps
- Rigging blocks to the basket or boom.
- Anchoring to the tree "just for balance."
- Assuming insulated means safe for line contact.
- Driving a heavy rough-terrain lift across the root plate and compacting soil.