Do you have a minimum height...

[CurSedVoyce]

I hate ladders...

 

[Bermy]

Ok, good feedback.
It sometimes feels a bit strange to be PPE'd up the yin yang when for years, and still today most landscapers and people who cut trees (notice I didn't say arborists) or work in high lifts wear very little if anything. The guy who ran the big lift I used a couple weeks ago didn't have a harness and declined one of my helmets...in a 60' lift while I was cutting 10' leaders above that!
I knew two people who have died from falls, striking their heads.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I had a 1" branch bop me on the head once with out a helmut. I lost vision for seemingly 2 minutes. I mean black as night, nada, no, none, zero zilch, not even a blur loss of vision. Scared me. I don't care if I am in a fruit tree 4,6,8 feet up or more, helmet and saddle. I have found that even on smaller trees, it is easier (if climbable) to work with in the tree and acheive better positioning with a saddle.

 

[Bermy]

THAT must have been very, very scary!
No long term effects? Just lights out, lights on?

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's weird. I'll add that strike to my ninja skills.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Black, then blurry and dark after about 2 minutes, then lighter and lighter and then eventually focus. About 10 minutes before I felt "ok" with my sight. I kid you not, the hit was like someone just smaking you on the head with a wooden mop handle. Did not even break the scalp.

 

[Bermy]

That would have scared me silly!
No reoccurance?

 

[Jed]

Burnham: I know that it is second hand--I believe that you said, "I know of a guy...", but cld you please elaborate on that story. Factual details are not that important. I'm just curious.

Stig: We just had a guy get out of the hospital having fallen from an orchard ladder from about six feet with the hedge trimmers. Total damage: two spiral fractures to the Tibia and Fibula, surgery to insert plates and screws, at least six months off work and wounded pride. Jackasses in our shop have actually made several jokes about him.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That would have scared me silly!
No reoccurance?

None.. I wear a helmet ....

Seriously though.... Scared me silly for certain. I don't think I will ever just "quickly trim this" with out a helmet again. That branch was no bigger than a rake handle. I would hate to think what more of a limb could do to ya.

 

[Burnham]

Burnham: I know that it is second hand--I believe that you said, "I know of a guy...", but cld you please elaborate on that story. Factual details are not that important. I'm just curious.

Stig: We just had a guy get out of the hospital having fallen from an orchard ladder from about six feet with the hedge trimmers. Total damage: two spiral fractures to the Tibia and Fibula, surgery to insert plates and screws, at least six months off work and wounded pride. Jackasses in our shop have actually made several jokes about him.

A good friend of mine, a fine climber, works for the nearby big city in their urban forestry dept and he told me the details...he was there and witnessed the whole thing. The story goes, one of their climbers, long timer with a ton of experience, went to enter a tree with a low limb at about 6 feet. Without benefit of any tie-in, he jumped up and grabbed the limb with both hands and started to muscle himself up onto it. Lost his grip, fellout backwards and broke his neck when he landed head first on the ground. Dead instantly.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ya'll know what happened to Shigo.

 

[Bermy]

Unprotected head + hard surface = bad outcome

I think my OP has been answered sufficiently.
I had just wondered about the bucket height scenario...

 

[pete mctree]

Buckets can usually go pretty high, so you equip yourself for it's working ceiling, not proposed height. Meaning you put the harness on before you get in, & remove it when you get out.
Working at height starts when you leave the floor I guess

 

[squisher]

For those that said they never take their helmets off even while raking I have a question. So if you've just taken down and cleaned up a tree, there are no other trees around to bean you and you're doing the final rake up in 100+ temps, you still wear your helmet?

 

[canadiantreeman]

Feck no!

 

[squisher]

Lol I hope not!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I have a large foppy hat for the raking you describe ..... LOL

 

[MasterBlaster]

Chillaxe!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Mostly paper and durable as well... Breathes nicely

 

[Tree Reb]

Ear muff friendly.

 

[Burnham]

Yeah, me neither. And it doesn't need to be any 100 degrees, either .

 

[Bermy]

You all would have been proud of me today...6' up little silver buttonwoods, harness and helmet, I felt the vibes from overseas whispering...'Fi, do the right thing...'

 

[Burnham]

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's how you get to be an old climber!