16.1 What does this Part cover?

16.1.1

Silviculture covers a wide range of activities around the establishment, growth and management of forests. This Part provides guidance on managing the health and safety risks of:

  • weed control and spraying (before and after planting)
  • planting
  • pruning
  • thinning
  • seed collection.

16.2 What are the common health and safety risks faced by silviculture workers?

16.2.1

Table 14 gives examples of how workers can be harmed.

16.2.2

There may be hazards that are not identified in this table. You will need to identify and assess health and safety risks arising from your own work.

What could go wrong? Possible causes
Workers being injured in slips, trips and falls
  • difficult terrain (for example steep slopes, waterways)
  • falls when working at height.
Impaired or distracted workers making mistakes resulting in injuries
  • fatigue from:
    • long work hours
    • long travel times to and from the worksite
  • dehydration
  • being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • distracted by cellphones, work pressures, home pressures.
Worker being hit by falling objects
  • adjacent trees, dead limbs and intertwining branches
  • being struck by falling trees, limbs or other debris
  • dead trees
  • pruning tools coming loose while working
  • unrestrained tools in work vehicles.
Workers fall from height
  • unsafe practices while pruning or collecting seed
  • slipping on ladders when climbing up or down
  • ladder sway in windy conditions.
Workers being harmed by poor or extreme weather conditions
  • UV exposure
  • hot or cold temperature extremes
  • heavy rain, flooding
  • strong winds.
Workers being injured carrying out manual tasks
  • repetitive physical action (for example, while tree planting, or doing weed control – including lifting, carrying, frequent bending and digging
  • carrying heavy equipment (slashers, shears, and hand-held motorised plant like brush cutters, spray units).
Workers being exposed to harmful fumes, excessive noise or vibration while using plant
  • handling noisy machinery.
Workers being cut by tools or plant
  • chainsaw hazards such as kickback
Workers being exposed to harmful substances while working
  • handling hazardous substances such as petrol and diesel
  • applying herbicides for weed control/being close to where herbicides are being sprayed.
Workers being cut, scratched or punctured or stung
  • from contact with undergrowth such as gorse and blackberry.
  • bees, wasps and other stinging hazards.
  • cuts from hand tool blades – loppers, spades, slashers
  • cuts and abrasions from mishandling equipment.
  • carrying equipment while walking through thick undergrowth.
Workers contacting live electrical wires
  • working close to powerlines.

Table 14: Examples of what could go wrong – silviculture

16.2.3

The following guidance provides good practice on how to manage these risks. To manage the health risks, see Section 3.5.

16.2.4

Guidance that is common to activities (for example, on requirements for worker training) has been placed in Part B.

16.2.5

See Appendix 6 for an approach to manage health and safety risks.