Process felled trees
Overview
This standard covers all the activities that may be required to process felled trees and create timber products. Processing refers to the primary processing carried out on site.
Activities could include some or all of the following:
• delimbing/snedding
• cross-cutting
• producing timber products
• grading and stacking timber, products and by-products
Cross cutting is carried out on timber under low and moderate tension, but not timber under extreme tension found in windblown trees. Severing of root plates is excluded.
You could be working to a given specification that defines the methods to be used but you will be expected to determine how to carry out these methods on site.
You will need to take account of any restrictions affecting the work e.g. designated sites, presence of listed structures, wildlife, non-native invasive or protected species etc.
You are required to avoid or minimise damage or disturbance to the surrounding area including trees, other vegetation, wildlife and habitats, or to any structures, fences, paths, signs, ditches/waterways or drains, and to ensure that other site users are not put at risk by your work.
When working with equipment and machinery you must be appropriately trained, competent to carry out the activity being undertaken, and hold current certification, where required, in line with the relevant legislation.
Your work must conform to all the relevant legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance.
This standard is for all treework operatives.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Core requirements and responsibilities
1. obtain the relevant information to carry out the work activities in accordance with organisational procedures
2. check any statutory requirements that might be in place that may prohibit or place conditions on the work to be done
3. maintain the health and safety of yourself and others at all times, in accordance with the relevant legislation and codes of practice
4. assess the risks associated with the site and the work to be carried out before starting work and throughout the activity, checking and confirming the findings of any existing risk assessments
5. confirm that sufficient control measures are implemented and that emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site have been established and recorded
6. select the safest working methods in accordance with the assessed risks and organisational procedures, and plan work accordingly
7. confirm that relevant training and certification is in place to undertake the work to be carried out and recognise your own competence limitations
8. use appropriate methods to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by, the work, in accordance with industry guidance and organisational procedures
9. confirm that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the work to be carried out is worn at all times
10. select, prepare, use, maintain and store the tools and equipment required safely, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and manufacturer’s instructions
11. confirm that all equipment has been checked, tested where required, and is fit for purpose in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and manufacturer's instructions
12. maintain the safety and security of tools and equipment on site
13. maintain biosecurity in accordance with the relevant legal requirements, industry guidance and organisational procedures
14. consider the effect of disease, defects and decay on the processing operation and seek advice where you are unsure
15. minimise damage or disturbance to the site and surrounding area while carrying out the work and confirm that the site is left in a safe and tidy condition
16. implement best practice approaches to sustainability appropriate for the work being carried out
17. deal effectively with issues that arise within the scope and limitations of your responsibilities and report issues that cannot be resolved, in accordance with organisational procedures
18. complete and store all the relevant documentation in accordance with legal and organisational requirements
Delimb/sned trees using a chainsaw
1. remove branches from felled trees safely using a chainsaw and recognised methods appropriate to the tree branch pattern, size, form and condition, leaving the stem, in accordance with the production specifications provided
2. turn trees and/or remove under-branches safely using appropriate tools and equipment
3. confirm that arisings are dealt with in accordance with site-operating procedures and environmental requirements
Cross-cut trees using a chainsaw
1. inspect de-limbed or snedded timber to identify tension and compression prior to cross-cutting, in accordance with safety requirements
2. cross-cut timber to the required lengths safely using a chainsaw and recognised methods appropriate to the diameter and condition of the timber, as well as to the guide bar length in accordance with the production specifications provided
3. use appropriate boring cuts to initiate either tension or compression cuts where bar access is limited
Produce timber products
1. position and set up processing equipment in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions and site-operating procedures
2. load processing equipment with timber to be processed in accordance with site-operating procedures and risk assessments
3. process timber to produce timber products in accordance with the production specifications provided and the site-operating procedures
4. monitor equipment for debris, blockages and the free flow of timber to ensure its safe operation
5. complete shut-down procedures, suitable for the equipment, in accordance with the site-operating procedures and manufacturers’ instructions
Grade and stack timber, products and by-products
1. grade, handle and stack timber, products and by-products using the relevant aids and tools, in accordance with the product specifications provided and site-operating procedures
2. check that the accumulation of timber, products and by-products is within specified limits and does not affect the safety of the site
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Core requirements and responsibilities
1. how to identify and access information relevant to the required work
2. how to identify hazards and assess risks associated with the site and the work to be carried out and the importance of site-specific risk assessment and control measures that are appropriate for your area of work
3. the relevant health and safety procedures and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW)
4. the emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site, the management of risk zones and safety clearances from overhead electricity conductors, and what to do in the event of contact with power lines
5. the correct use of warning signs and barriers to inform and protect others while the work is carried out
6. current legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance, organisational policies, procedures and protocols, business and professional ethics relevant to your area of work and to which you must adhere
7. the legal, industry and organisational requirements for training and certification to undertake the work activities required and the importance of acknowledging your limitations and not undertaking work that is beyond your level of competence
8. why it is important to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by, the work, and the methods of communication that should be used
9. the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the work and how to safely, prepare, use, carry out operator maintenance, and store these, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements, manufacturer’s instructions, and organisational procedures
10. the legal requirements for checking and testing equipment and why it is important to maintain all equipment to a high standard
11. technology used in your area of work and how to use it
12. the importance of biosecurity measures and how to apply these
13. how to identify the tree species from timber lengths and how timber of different tree species is used
14. how to interpret the product specifications to determine the processing requirements
15. the importance of checking for signs of disease, defects and decay in the tree being worked on and how this could affect processing
16. the potential impact of the work on the site and surrounding area and how this can be minimised
17. your and the organisation’s responsibility for protecting the environment and working sustainably
18. the importance of checking that the completed work meets the requirements in accordance with the information provided
19. the issues that can occur when processing felled trees and creating timber products, the actions to take and organisational procedures for reporting issues that cannot be resolved
20. the scope and limitations of your competence, responsibilities and accountability
21. the legal and organisational requirements for the completion and storage of documentation
Delimb/sned trees using a chainsaw
1. the safeguards required when delimbing/snedding timber and the necessity and advantages of leaving a clean stem
2. how the method of delimbing/snedding will vary with tree species, their form and condition, and the safeguards required when branches or sections are upright or overhanging the operator
3. how to identify tension and compression in branches and the implications on the choice of severing method
4. how and when to use additional equipment, to assist with the delimbing/snedding of felled trees
5. the tools and equipment used to turn felled trees and the additional safeguards required for turning a tree and/or removing branches on the underside
6. the correct methods of dealing with arisings in accordance with legal and organisational requirements
Cross-cut trees using a chainsaw
1. how to identify and judge the levels and direction of tension and compression in timber and the methods of cross-cutting that can be used
2. the recognised methods of cross-cutting timber using a chainsaw, which is both above and below the guide bar length
3. the precautions to take to avoid logs rolling during cross-cutting
4. how to safely move or roll timber for processing by hand or with the use of tools or machinery and following safe stacking procedures
Produce timber products
1. how to set up safe working areas for timber processing, including the position of the timber processor and the timber ready to convert, plus the product and by-product stacking areas
2. the implications of terrain, ground conditions, season and weather on working areas, and on the use of the machinery
3. the different types of timber-processing machines available and their capabilities and limitations
4. how to use timber-processing machines and the techniques and safeguards necessary, including the emergency stop
5. the indications of abnormal machine function and how to unblock in-feed and discharge equipment safely
6. theimplications of converting long timber on the operation of machines, including producing long products such as split rails on a circular saw
7. the shutdown procedures for the machine
Grade and stack timber products and by-products
1. the methods of grading, handling and stacking timber, products and by-products with the aid of handling machinery or using safe manual handling techniques
2. the safeguards required when timber, products and by-products are accumulated adjacent to roads and tracks in regard to stability and warning sign requirements
Scope/range
Processing activities could include some or all of the following:
• delimbing/snedding
• cross-cutting
• producing timber products
• grading and stacking timber, products and by-products
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Different methods of dealing with arisings including burning, stacking, burying, spreading, further processing and re-using as other products
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Health and safety risks from chainsaw use:
• being cut by the saw
• being hit or crushed by moving timber
• noise-induced hearing loss
• hand-arm vibration (HAV)
• exhaust fumes from petrol-driven chainsaws
• exposure to oils
• exposure to dust
• effects of fatigue/dehydration on the ability to work safely
• other work equipment or activities on site
Information required to carry out work activities could include:
• drawings
• plans
• schedules
• specifications
• method statements
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• manufacturer’s instructions
• customer requirements
• quality assurance requirements
• industry standards (e.g. British Standards)
• verbal or written instructions
• industry guidance (e.g. FISA)
Organisational procedures refer to procedures set by the organisation you are employed by or the organisation that you are doing the work on behalf of (the client or customer)
Processing equipment could include: chainsaws, mobile saw benches, firewood processors, stake splitters, pointing machines, peelers, de-barkers, tracked self-propelled or tractor-mounted woodchippers, trailed and vehicle-mounted shredders, horizontal grinders and tub grinders.
Risk zone – also referred to as Danger zone and Exclusion zone. The Risk zone should be established before commencement of any tree work.
Safe System of Work (SSoW) – is a method of work that puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards, which are broken down into four elements: safe person; safe equipment; safe place; and safe practice.