Tree safety surveys and assessments
Tree surveys and assessment begins by evaluating the nature and extent of the existing tree cover on a site. In most cases it is appropriate to carry out a preparatory scoping exercise to define the detail and type of inspection required by a client. As a basic requirement it is useful to understand why a tree survey is important. Organisations such as employers, landowners and individuals must ensure public safety, and it remains that a duty of care exists by the landowner or person responsible in an organisation, who must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions that could reasonably be foreseen that were likely cause harm.
The Occupiers Liability Act 1957 & 1984, and Section 3 of The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, places general duties upon employers to those other than employees to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) has been the conventional method used in tree surveys for a number of years. This term describes the general approach to tree surveying using visual observation combined with experience and knowledge to draw conclusions about tree condition.
Following from or in conjunction with a tree survey property owners and managers have a duty to demonstrate insofar as ‘reasonably practicable’ that people and property are not exposed to unreasonable levels of risk from the failure of trees under their control. For a tree hazard to exist both the defects in the tree and the potential for injury or damage to result must be identified. Likelihood of both occurring is estimated to produce a schedule of works which have a defined priority. Financial planning and the allocation of resources completes the assessment and the land owner can now fully demonstrate in report form that a duty of care exists and a policy is in place to achieve the actions identified to reduce risk.
When confronted with the management of a large tree population, the scale of the task may often daunt the manager; however, taking an overview of the whole site and combining that with targets will comfortably provide owners with priorities for tree risk management. Our tree surveys are undertaken using tablets (with GPS, 3G, WiFi, cameras, etc) – backed by a comprehensive, secure website. The mobile devices are used on-site and they sync maps and inspection data with the host website. The website is then used to view, update and share the survey data, and to generate reports.
All survey data can be downloaded in a variety of formats to integrate with your existing systems which can:
- Maintain a complete and up-to-date inventory of your tree stock – displayed using online maps and spreadsheets.
- Provide your staff with instant access to view and update the data from their mobile phones (Android only) and any web browser.
- Implement your Tree Management and Tree Safety Policies with a rolling programme of tree inspections.
- Plan your annual work cycles. Pro-actively manage your tree stock using an extensive range of data queries and reports.
- Maintain an audit trail to show that you have taken reasonable steps to inspect, risk assess and maintain the trees on your land.
- Allow PDF Reports (with your logo) to be automatically created containing coloured charts, graphs and tables. All the inspection data can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet for further detailed analyses or customised reporting.
- High quality maps and printouts can be prepared using your own CAD application to combine your existing maps and site plans with the CAD/DXF files provided by us.
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07950 259 905