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HOISTING AN ARBORISTThe most current version of the Z133 safety stan-dard has specific guidance foe hoisting a climber by crane. Previously, the qualified climber being hoisted was required to be tied onto the boom or the becket above the ball while being transported or hoisted into position in the tree. Now, the qualified climber SHALL use a second point of attachment

Tree WorkerA MONTHLY RESOURCE FOR TREE CARE PROFESSIONALS k OCTOBER 2016 • Number 404

Back to Basics: Rigging Slings

continued on page 2

continued on page 4

– Tim Walsh, CTSP

1on or above the crane hook or to the crane boom. This requirement in the ANSI Z133-2012 aligns more closely with the existing OSHA guidance for industrial construction when hoisting personnel.

I find myself wanting to review or get back to the basics sometimes on different things. Lately, rigging slings have been on my mind quite a bit. While there are always new tools and techniques that improve safety and efficiency, I will always be a firm believer in the need to understand the basics first.

Although there are a wide variety of sling types, fibers, applications, etc., in order to simplify, I will categorize them in two main ways – fixed-length and adjustable length. This article is going to focus primarily on the fixed-length slings, as they are the most widely used, but I do want to recognize that there are other types that work well, and some-times better in certain applications.

The adjustable types include, among others:

• Loopies – Adjustable length loops of cordage, where a splice allows adjustability and the hard-ware is connected to the loop.

• Whoopies – Adjustable cordage sling designed to be able to change the length using a splice as the loopie, but where there is an adjustable eye and a fixed eye.

I want to focus on the more common fixed-length style, often called a dead-eye, or single-eye sling. These are usually larger diameter, strong cords that have a large fixed eye spliced in one end. They can be made from a variety of fibers and constructions, but the most common are the double-braids and hollow braids.

These slings are usually attached to the tree with either a cow hitch or timber hitch. While the intent of this article isn’t to spend time on the correct tying of knots, I do want to point out one thing

3/4” hollow braid dead-eye sling, showing how both legs of the eye sling are captured during the tying

Two points of attachment while being hoisted will help alleviate the problem often seen when the climber transitions from crane to tree. Arborists new to crane work, or arborists working under pressure, tend to rush through things and may not think through all of their motions. It has happened in the recent past where an arborist had disconnected from the crane before tying into the tree and fell before he realized what had happened. Having the two points of attachment may help in those instances.

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Crane Corner - Hoisting an Arborist continued from page 1

Shown is one method of attachment climbers can use above the ball. A heavy duty rated sling with a nylon sleeve protector and a locking Crosby shackle is attached to the becket above the crane ball. The protective sleeve covers the webbing to reduce abrasion from the ball. The climbing line is then run through the clevis of a Crosby shackle with the pin bolted and locked on. It is in no way connected directly to the load line and does not interfere with the crane operations. This method is acceptable by OSHA standards. The second method of attachment could be as simple as setting your lanyard in the hook, as long as the hook is wired or otherwise locked shut.

The new standard guideline only applies to “during transportation.” Once you get to your work area, you can remove the second tie in.

Before the Arborist in Charge decides to use a crane to hoist a climber for tree care operations, these three precautions must first be followed:

• Document the hazards of the tree/site that re-quire the use of the crane and that specifically require its use to hoist the climber. Diagramming the site may be useful in communicating this information to others.

• Make sure every aspect of the crane operation conforms to accepted regulations and standards.

• Make sure that all members of the crane crew have the appropriate licenses, certifications and competencies to perform their assigned duties.

Watch the Speed Limit There is now a “speed limit” when hoisting climbers. Previously the recommendation was that lifting and supporting shall be done under controlled conditions, but now the wording is more specific:

When the qualified arborist is being hoist-ed, hoisting speed shall not exceed

100 feet/minute(0.5 m/sec)

Stay current with industry practices by attending training workshops.

For information regarding the closest crane workshop near you, visit tcia.org.

3

Respiratory Protection: Dust Masks and Respirators

TREEWORKER | OCTOBER 2016

Dust masks or respirators are among the most important pieces of protective equipment for working in hazardous environments.Respirators are protective masks worn over the nose and mouth that protect the user’s lungs from air-borne dust and irritants. They can be worn for respiratory comfort against non-toxic nuisance dusts during activities such as chipping brush, stump grinding, working near old chip piles and pesticide mixing and application.

Selecting the right respirator requires an assessment of all the workplace operations that may create a respiratory hazard. This assessment should be done by experienced safety personnel or by a qualified arborist.

Dust mask? Respirator?Which Do You Need?A dust mask or particulate respirator is the sim-plest, least expensive and least protective of the respirator types available. These respirators only protect against particles (e.g., dust). They do not protect against chemicals, gases or vapors, and are intended only for low hazard levels. Particulate respirators are “air purifying respirators” because they clean particles out of the air as you breathe.

Particulate Respirators:• Filter out dusts, fumes and mists.

• Are usually disposable dust masks or respirators with disposable filters.

continued on page 5

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about the design using the large eye. This is designed so when the sling is secured to the tree, regardless of the hitch used, both legs of the eye splice are captured.

Another key thing to remember is what is called “over matching.” Over matching requires the sling to be stronger than the rigging line, as the sling will be subjected to the greatest load. It used to be that people would use the same cordage for the rigging line and sling (example: 5/8” double-braid rigging line and 5/8” double-braid sling), but this isn’t the best practice.

Something that we started to pay attention to a while back was offsetting the block. The idea is to have the block not directly in line with the center of the notch (intended direction of fall), and not directly over the friction/lowering device. Keeping the block a little to the side of the direction of fall decreases the chance of the piece you are lowering striking the block. The same applies to the friction/lowering device so the piece doesn’t come down directly on top of it.

One last nice touch that I have seen with these slings is what we used to call a “stinger,” a tapered end that makes it easier to pass the tail under the strands against the bark.

Hopefully this has been a basic reminder for most, or an introduction to some of the basics for others. Either way, it is always good to get back to the basics to make sure we haven’t lost the key understanding needed, before we try more advanced tools and techniques.

Proper matching/overmatching sling, block and rigging line and proper tying of cow hitch.

“ Stinger” being used to aid in tucking under the strands.

Back to Basics: Rigging Slings continued fom page 1

5TREEWORKER | OCTOBER 2016

Respiratory Protection: Dust Masks and Respirators continued fom page 3

• Must be replaced when they become discolored, damaged, or clogged.

These masks are not respirators and do not of-fer protection against hazardous dusts, gases or vapors. Get a proper dust mask with a filtration rating small enough to catch the chunks that can cause a problem.

Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirators or gas masks are also known as “air-purifying respirators” because they filter or clean chemical gases out of the air as you breathe. This respirator includes a face piece or mask, and a cartridge or canister. The cartridge may also have a filter to remove particles.

It is important to know what hazards you

will face in order to be certain you are choosing the right filters/ cartridges.

Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirators:• Use replaceable chemical cartridges or canisters

to remove the contaminant.

• Are color-coded to help you select the right one.

• May require more than one cartridge to protect against multiple hazards.

For more information on OSHA’s rules and requirements related to respiratory protection, visit OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotection/index.html

Not all masks are created equal.

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ISSN 1529-4854Editor – Tchukki Andersen, Staff Arborist,

BCMA, CTSPContributing Writer - Tim Walsh, CTSPGraphic Design & Layout – Kathleen Costello©2016 All rights reserved. All materials con-

tained herein are for the information of The TreeWorker subscribers. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION IS NOT PERMITTED. Pic-tures, articles and other data are in no way to be construed as an endorsement of products, techniques or members.

The TreeWorker is published monthly by the Tree Care Industry Association, Inc., 136 Harvey Road, Suite 101, Lon-donderry, NH 03053

Call 1-800-733-2622 to order and Sachin Mohan at ext. 111 to advertise. Articles in The TreeWorker meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z133 for safe-ty in arboricultural operation and the ANSI A300 series of standards for the management of trees. These standards are industry consensus standards that apply only to readers in the United States of America.

The TreeWorker readers in countries other than the United States of America are cautioned that your local and/or nation-al standards may or may not be similar to ANSI standards. You are advised to research and apply your local and/or national standards to all standard practices represented in The TreeWorker articles.

77Mr. Safetyby Bryan Kotwica

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-26228

CTSP CEU QUIZ Value .25 CTSP CEUs

Mail: TCIA Safety, 136 Harvey Road, Ste. 101, Londonderry, NH 03053Fax: (603) 314-5386 or Scan and email to: ikochurov@tcia.org. Please print legibly:

Your Name: _______________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________________

CTSP Cert Number: ________________________________________

1. A loopie sling is:a. a fixed-length slingb. an adjustable loop of cordage with a splice c. a cordage sling with an adjustable eye and a fixed eye.d. not intended for rigging operations

2. Which is one way to safely reduce abrasion on webbing that supports a climbing system from above a crane ball?

a. tie the climber’s rope directly onto the shackle above the ballb. use a length of webbing that hangs 5-feet below the ballc. use a nylon sleeve protectord. install the webbing directly into the hook below the ball

3. Particulate respirators:a. filter out dusts, fumes and mistsb. are usually disposablec. must be replaced if they become damaged, discolored or cloggedd. all of the above

4. Chemical cartridge/gas mask respirators: a. will not filter out dusts, fumes and mistsb. are usually disposablec. are color codedd. can filter fumes, but not chemical gases out of the air

5. Placing a rigging block to the side of the direction of fall of a tree piece being cut:

a. decreases the chance of the piece being lowered striking the blockb. helps determine the direction of fallc. gives the climber something to hold onto as the piece fallsd. should always be done with a loopie sling

The answers to this month’s quiz will be published in the November 2016 issue of the TreeWorker newsletter.

Answers for JUL/AUG 2016 Quiz: 1. c 2. c 3. a 4. c 5. c

OCTOBER 2016