Pickin'and R
TRAINING By Michael "House" Tain
egular folks make choices every day;sometimes easy ones, and often more difficult ones. But tree care professionals are confronted by choices every day as part of their work life that can be full of consequences regarding both the bottom
line and safety of life and limb. Compounding all these choices, the modern tree climber and crew member is faced with constantly evolv- ing and emerging new materials, fibers, and gadgets — all claiming to be better, safer, faster and easier than the last.In general,this abundance of possibilities is a good thing, giving an industry and its workers better options to suit their individual styles and work methods. But, at times, all the choices can seem overwhelming, and the costs of a poor choice can be great both economically and physically.However, tree industry professionals can help themselves make better gear choices by using some form of set system to evaluate the gear available and how the crew might employ it.The basic principles discussed here will assist in that process.
Standards Any new gear that is being considered for use by a professional tree
crew has to meet the applicable standards,which for tree people most of the time is the ANSI Z133.These are continually "tweaked" and updated by a committee made up of industry members; and although it is physically impossible to have these standards "keep up" with the latest developments in materials and equipment, they are an excellent starting point to evaluate a new piece of gear.The standards are not intended, the majority of the time, to teach or explain to a climber how to use a particular piece of gear, but rather give basic require- ments on issues such as strength, required sizes, locking mechanisms
12 Arbor Age / November/December 2012 Photo by Odis Sisk www.arborage.com
TRAINING & EDUCA& EDUCATION Choosin' Helpful tips for gear selection and use
and general use. Folks looking at a new piece of gear should check the most recent ANSI standards first,particularly in regard to life support components,to assure themselves that their intended new "toy"is "legal" for use in the tree industry.This doesn't mean the safety or usefulness of the item is guaranteed,but at least gives the user a baseline to compare it against.
A close-up view of the Good Rigging Control System (GRCS), an excellent example of equipment evolution in tree care.
