AA Approved Contractors and AA Registered Consultants

I'm afraid we may have upset some people insisting on Approved Contractors' and Registered Consultants' directory entry details and payment before Christmas but I will continue to adopt a fairly hard line where this is concerned. The directory runs January - December and to my mind that means it should go out at the beginning of January. We have achieved this and I believe this is yet another item that will restore confidence in the schemes, along with re-assessment.

For a report on the results of the Contractors' and Consultants' re-assessment programme for 2002 see our April newsletter In the meantime the AA Approved Contractors' scheme received some pretty good independent press in the Gardening Which? magazine (November 2002 issue). I hope to get permission to reprint it in the newsletter sometime, but to summarise:

Gardening Which? employed an AA Registered Consultant to look at four different people's 'problem' trees, decide what was wrong and what work was appropriate. Then they asked the tree owners to get several 'tree surgeons' to come and quote for appropriate work, at least one in each case being an AA Approved Contractor. The contractors didn't know they were being set up like this. I'm pleased to say that mostly the AAACs came out best, offering appropriate advice at realistic prices.

Helliwell Update 2003

Don't forget that the Helliwell System (Visual Amenity Valuation of Trees and Woodlands) has been refined and updated with effect from 1st January this year. The author will be providing training in the revised method on 5th June 2003 (not 25th June as advertised previously) and new edition guidance notes are available from the AA.

European Treeworker Handbook

The European Arboricultural Council has published a new edition of the European Treeworker Handbook and the AA are the sole UK distributors for the work. It's just that - a very useful handbook for everyone involved in tree care and maintenance (and essential for anyone planning to take the European treeworker examination). It's a good balance between the theory and practice of treework operations, all in a language and style suitable for the ground worker and climber as well as the supervisor and manager. If you're looking for something to help you understand the biology and background to day in and day out craft level work, or to put in the mess room for the staff to read then this is ideal at £23.99 + P&P (hardback with plenty of diagrams). We take telephone orders with credit cards - 01794 368717. It's also describes the agreed standard of tree work operations accepted across Europe. Many thanks to Mick Cottam, the AA's representative on the European Arboricultural Council for his work with this publication.

National Proficiency Tests Council

This is, of course, the correct title for the awarding body summarised by the acronym NPTC (not as described in the December 2002 newsletter). It might be worth pointing out that the new routes to chainsaw certification are explained in our April newsletter. There is, at last, real co-operation between LANTRA Awards and NPTC and the result is a comprehensive suite of competency standards for the professional and occasional chainsaw user and a clear route through them. This is a significant step forward for the industry and I know that much of the work behind the scenes has been painstakingly undertaken by Simon Richmond - well done Simon.

So here it is, the step-by-step guide to how to obtain a suitable chainsaw competency certificate (this is one of the questions I am most frequently asked by all sorts of people - practitioners, employers and members of the public). These new arrangements will be launched on 1st April 2003:

If you want 'chainsaw' training and you don't already have a tame LANTRA Awards registered trainer on tap, go to LANTRA Awards' headquarters on 02476 419703. They will put you in touch with one or more suitable training providers in your locality. The LANTRA register of trainers includes trainers who used to be on the FASTCo register before the demise of FASTCo last year. Training providers may be colleges, other training organisations or independent trainers.

All LANTRA registered training providers are instructed to ascertain the most suitable training and assessment route for the client so you can expect them to ask you some questions about the type of work you intend to do with your chainsaw. If you are an occasional user wanting training and assessment in basic chainsaw maintenance, cross-cutting and felling trees up to 200mm diameter then the training provider will suggest the ITA route (Integrated Training and Assessment). During your training the trainer will be making assessments of you and if you are competent you will walk away with a LANTRA Awards ITA certificate of basic training. If, however, you wish to fell trees over 200mm, and/or use your chainsaw as part of forestry or arboricultural employment, the training provider will recommend a LANTRA Awards training-only course that will equip you to meet the criteria used in a NPTC assessment. At the end of your training an NPTC assessment will be arranged and carried out by an independent NPTC approved assessor.

Pretty simple, really, and it seems to me to be something that really reflects the needs of the industry. This also reaffirms that NPTC certificates are the industry standard and this is what you should hold if you are working with chainsaws professionally.

I'm surprised at the number of people who don't know there is NPTC certification for other arboricultural operations such as the use of chippers, stump-grinders, mobile elevating work platforms, tree planting, bracing and supporting etc. You can obtain a full list from the NPTC (www.nptc.org.uk or telephone 02476 696553). LANTRA also holds a register of training providers for these competencies.

There's quite a bit of confusion surrounding whether or not you (or your staff) should be certificated. With chainsaw operations it's relatively straightforward and I refer to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The Health and Safety Executive provide a useful information sheet AIS 27, 'PUWER 98: How the Regulations apply to agriculture and forestry'. This clearly states that '... from 5th December 1998 anyone working with chainsaws on or in trees is now expected to hold a certificate of competence or national competence award relevant to the work they undertake...' (with one 'agricultural holdings' exception - see the sheet from HSE - 01787 881165).

As for other arboricultural operations certification is not spelled out quite as clearly but I suggest there are two factors that should be taken into account:

1. When undertaking a risk assessment the risks involved with any operation, particularly high risk operations such as arboriculture, can be controlled by (amongst other things) ensuring personnel are appropriately competent to perform the operation. If they are, why not prove it with a certificate? If they are not, don't do it!

2. If something goes wrong and someone gets hurt the HSE may come to investigate. Whilst they would much rather educate than prosecute they will prosecute when necessary. One's strongest defence must surely be that the person concerned holds/held a nationally recognised certificate of competence.

PUWER Regulations Bite Harder - 5th December 2002

As with most regulations there's usually a staged implementation. See our April Newsletter for further details of the new areas now covered by PUWER.

Storm Damage and Foundation Movement All-In-One!

Here's an interesting one. Many of us are familiar with making or defending claims arising from tree-related subsidence/heave or from storm damage, but in the case Dayani v London Borough of Bromley they were combined. A Lime tree was blown over and the Council decided to fell it and remove the roots (which were found to be rotten). This led to a claim by the owner of an adjacent property, alleging that "heave" of a clay soil had resulted in damage to his property.

However, the court held that the felling of the tree was the only means to abate a serious nuisance. (The tree has come to rest on the roof of a children's home) There was no liability as the council had acted reasonably and sensibly, albeit without consulting the property owners. Sometimes sense does prevail!

I hope this year turns out to be successful for you all and I hope to meet as many of you as I can at branch events, Trade Fair (13th and 14th June), Conference (15th - 17th September) or at our many other training and development events. Next year the Association has it's 40th Birthday. What should we do to celebrate? Let me know. Finally my thanks to the rest of the headquarters staff: Margaret, Sue Liz and Guy, without whom we could not serve you, the industry, or the nations amenity tree resource.

Nick Eden
Director
Arboricultural Association