The crew arrives and finds that the planned aerial-lift position is soft, sloped or blocked. An arborist hazard assessment catches that mismatch before setup turns into improvisation.
Start with the work sold. Inspect the tree and jobsite. Choose a method that fits what you found. Assign each control to a person, brief the crew and stop when the recorded plan no longer matches the job.
Start the arborist hazard assessment with the accepted scope
Read the accepted quote, booking notes, customer messages and site photos before dispatch. Confirm the tree, pruning or removal work, cleanup, disposal, stump work, access promises and exclusions.
Use the arborist tree removal quote guide for scope, access, rigging and disposal when the quote does not give the crew enough detail. The quote must tell the crew what was sold before they decide how to perform it.
The quote and hazard record have different jobs. The quote records the customer agreement. The hazard record describes the method the crew plans to use under the conditions found at the site.
Do not hide a scope decision inside the safety form. If the customer asks for another limb, a different tree or extra stump work, stop and write a change order. Get approval before adding that work to the task sequence.
Turn the sold work into crew tasks
Do not leave the task as “remove tree.” Break it into steps the crew can see and follow:
- Arrive, park and protect access.
- Inspect the tree, ground and surrounding targets.
- Set barriers, equipment areas and material routes.
- Establish climbing or aerial-lift access.
- Make cuts in the selected order.
- Drop or lower material into the planned area.
- Process debris and load timber.
- Inspect the site and reopen access.
Change the sequence to match the work. Pruning from a lift, climbing for sectional removal and directional felling are not interchangeable methods.
Write down the scope boundaries
List work that is not included. That could include stump grinding, log hauling, turf repair, traffic control, moving customer property or work outside the property boundary.
A boundary is not a control. A note saying the resident will keep the driveway clear does not stop a delivery driver from entering. Name the person who will control that entry while cutting or lowering is active.
Identify the record you are preparing
An arborist hazard assessment is a crew planning record. It connects work steps to hazards, controls, responsibilities, check points and stop-work triggers.
A contractor or client may call it a field-level hazard assessment, JHA or JSA. The label can change. The record still needs to describe this tree, this jobsite, this crew and the selected method.
Keep a tree risk assessment separate
A tree risk assessment considers the tree and potential targets. It may examine the likelihood and consequences of tree or branch failure for people, buildings, vehicles or other property.
The crew hazard record has another purpose. It organizes how workers will access the tree, cut material, control loads, operate equipment, protect the public and respond when conditions change.
One record can inform the other. It does not replace it.
Keep an arboricultural report separate
An arboricultural report may answer a property, planning, development or permit question. It can have a separate scope, inspection method, author and customer deliverable.
Do not answer a report request with a crew form. Scope and quote the report separately. Do not put an unsupported report price into the field assessment.
Use four practical steps before the first cut
Use a simple sequence: inspect, choose the method, assign controls, then brief and reassess. Treat it as a working process rather than a claim that one form meets every provincial, territorial, municipal, client or contract requirement.
1. Inspect the jobsite
Walk the site before equipment fills the available space. Compare the booking notes with the tree, ground, structures, overhead lines, traffic, public access and material route you can see now.
Mark every mismatch. A gate may be locked. A driveway may be occupied. Excavation may have changed the ground. Another contractor may be working inside the planned drop zone.
2. Choose the work method
Select climbing, aerial-lift, rigging, felling and material-handling methods from the inspected conditions. Do not start with the booked machine and force the job around it.
Confirm that the method gives the worker a usable position, keeps material away from people and structures, and leaves space for rescue and emergency access.
3. Assign controls and stop-work triggers
Give each control an owner. Name who installs the barrier, checks the equipment position, controls the gate, confirms the rigging setup and releases the material route.
Then write an observable reason to stop. “Conditions become unsafe” is vague. “Stop if the marked lift position settles, shifts or cannot be kept clear” gives the crew a decision they can make.
4. Brief the crew and reassess
Run the briefing at the tree using the current document. Point to the actual zones, routes, equipment positions and access points.
Revise the record when the tree, weather, crew, equipment position, work scope or public movement no longer matches it. Mark the earlier version superseded, remove it from field circulation and retain it under the rules set by the applicable authority, contract and company.
Complete the tree work site assessment before choosing equipment
Inspect from every position you can use without beginning the work. Do not claim knowledge of concealed wood, an upper anchor or a hidden ground condition that cannot be confirmed from the ground.
Inspect the tree and root area
Look at the trunk, roots, lean, crown, unions, visible decay, cracks, cavities, deadwood and suspended material. Note what still needs to be checked from another position.
Trace how each section could move. Cut material can swing, rotate, bounce, roll or slide. A rigged piece transfers force through the selected rigging point and tree structure. Its first landing place is not necessarily where it stops.
If the climber later finds a cavity, weak union or unsuitable anchor that was not visible from the ground, stop. Reconsider access, loading, cut order, rigging and rescue before continuing.
Check ground support and equipment positions
Walk the planned positions for the aerial lift, chipper, truck and other equipment. Check slopes, soft areas, recent excavation, hidden edges, overhead clearance, gates and turning room.
Keep equipment out of the emergency access route. Do not place the chipper feed path inside the drop zone or make ground workers cross below active cutting to reach the truck.
If the lift position is blocked or cannot support the planned setup, change the method. Do not substitute improvised climbing because the lift has already arrived.
Map lines, structures, traffic and public entries
Mark buildings, fences, vehicles, neighbouring property and every path a person or pet could use. Include side gates and doors that the booking notes missed.
If an overhead line crosses the access, drop, rigging or equipment path, close the affected area and stop. The crew should not decide that the line is safe. Follow the utility owner’s procedure and check the current rules with your provincial or territorial occupational health and safety regulator.
Name the person controlling each active entry. That person needs authority to stop cutting, lowering, feeding or equipment movement when the controlled area is breached.
Trace material from cut to truck
Draw the path for branches, stem sections, timber and debris. Include lowering, landing, dragging, machine handling, processing and loading.
Separate cutting and lowering from processing. If both activities must use the same space, write who stops one activity before the other begins. Personal protective equipment does not repair a bad site layout.
Check equipment and competency before choosing the method
Inspect the equipment you intend to use before committing the crew to climbing, lifting, rigging or processing. The site may suit a method while the available equipment does not.
Check the aerial lift’s condition, working limits and recorded inspections against the planned position and work. Confirm the assigned operator holds the authorization or worker record required for that equipment and job. Remove defective equipment from service and record the defect.
Inspect climbing gear before use. Record damaged, contaminated, altered or questionable items and take them out of service. Check that ropes, connectors, friction devices, slings, blocks and lowering equipment are compatible with each other and with the planned load path.
Inspect the saws, chipper, loader and other plant that will enter the work sequence. Confirm guards, controls and communication arrangements before placing equipment inside a controlled zone.
Check the rescue equipment against the selected access method. It must be present, ready and reachable from the planned work position. Confirm that the assigned rescuers have the worker records required for the job and can carry out the recorded method.
If equipment condition, capacity, compatibility, inspection status or operator authorization does not support the method, stop. Change the equipment, worker assignment or method before setup.
Match access, cutting and rescue to the inspected site
Choose the access method first. Then set the cut order, rigging method, landing area, equipment positions and crew roles around it.
Ask direct questions:
- Can the assigned worker reach and work from the selected position?
- Can the ground support the equipment where it must stand?
- Can cut material follow the planned path without crossing people or structures?
- Can the crew maintain communication through every work step?
- Can the rescue method work from the chosen access position?
Change the method when any answer is no. The arborist hazard assessment must describe the work the crew will perform, not the method somebody expected during booking.
Draw separate working zones
Mark the cutting area, drop zone, rigging area, equipment area, processing area and public boundary. Use barriers, gates, cones, spotters or fixed site features the crew can point to.
Keep workers away from suspended-load paths. Keep material processing out of the climber’s drop zone. Keep emergency access open from the street or agreed entrance to the rescue position.
Make the rescue setup fit the work position
Name the rescue lead, emergency caller, person meeting responders and backup for each role. Confirm the jobsite address and emergency entry point.
Place rescue equipment where the crew can reach it without crossing an active hazard. If the chosen access system, equipment position or site layout prevents the planned rescue, do not start that work step.
Record five things for every task
Each task row needs five fields:
- Work step: the action the crew will perform.
- Hazard: the specific source of harm during that action.
- Control: the instruction that removes or controls the exposure.
- Responsibility and verification: who performs the control, who checks it and when.
- Stop-work trigger: the condition that pauses the task.
Write actions, not slogans. “Watch for pedestrians” leaves the decision loose. “The access controller closes the marked gate before cutting and stops cutting if anyone crosses it” can be followed and checked.
A regulator, utility, client or prime contractor may require another form or extra fields. Check its current form before the job.
Copy this arborist hazard assessment template
Use one current version in the job pack. Add task rows whenever the work position, load path, equipment position or public route changes.
Arborist hazard assessment Job reference: [reference] Customer and jobsite: [name and address] Tree and accepted scope: [identify tree and work sold] Scope exclusions: [work not included] Assessment completed by: [name and role] Supervisor: [name] Crew and assigned roles: [names and tasks] Tree work site assessment: [tree, roots, ground, structures, lines, traffic and public access] Selected access method: [climbing, aerial lift or other planned method] Cutting and rigging sequence: [planned order] Work zones: [cutting, drop, rigging, equipment, processing and public boundary] Material route: [path to chipper, truck, stack or disposal point] Equipment condition and capacity: [checks completed] Climbing and rigging compatibility: [checks completed] Pre-use checks and defects: [record and action] Items removed from service: [item, reason and person] Required operator or worker records: [record and holder] Communication method: [voice, radio and agreed signals] Lost-contact response: [instruction to stop] Emergency caller and backup: [names] Confirmed jobsite address: [address] Emergency access point: [location] Person meeting responders: [name and meeting point] Rescue lead: [name] Rescue method: [method for selected access system] Rescue equipment and location: [details] Work step: [specific action] Hazard: [source of harm] Control: [crew instruction] Control performed by: [name or role] Control checked by: [name or role] Check point: [when the check occurs] Stop-work trigger: [observable condition] Supporting records: [equipment checks, permits and worker records] Crew questions and changes: [notes] Briefing completed by: [name] Briefing participants: [names] Document version and time: [current version] Superseded versions marked by: [name] Removed from field circulation by: [name] Retention rule checked against: [authority, contract and company rule]
Run the arborist crew briefing at the tree
Stand where the crew can see the tree and jobsite. Point to the access points, public boundary, drop zone, rigging area, equipment positions, processing area, material route and emergency entrance.
State the cut order and explain when one activity must stop for another to begin. Confirm voice calls, radio channels, hand signals and the response to lost communication. Lost contact should stop the affected work rather than start a guessing contest.
Ask each crew member what does not match the record. The ground worker may see a blocked route. The climber may question an anchor. The operator may need another equipment position. Fix the mismatch before setup.
Record attendance after questions and changes are dealt with. A signature should show who attended the current arborist crew briefing. It does not turn a weak plan into a usable one.
Stop and revise the plan when conditions change
Stop-work authority belongs with every crew member. The supervisor still owns the decision to revise the method and release the work.
Pause when:
- The tree condition or selected anchor differs from the ground inspection.
- Ground support, lift position or access no longer works.
- Weather or visibility changes footing, communication or material movement.
- A resident, driver, pet or other contractor enters the controlled area.
- Equipment changes or a crew member is replaced.
- The customer requests work outside the accepted scope.
Do not write around the change after the work. Update the findings, method, controls, responsibilities, checks and stop-work triggers. Brief the affected crew again and mark the new version as current.
Mark the earlier version superseded and remove it from field circulation. Keep it under the retention rules set by the applicable authority, contract and company. Do not destroy an earlier record just because the plan changed.
Keep Canadian job records in separate buckets
The field record does not grant permission to perform the work. It also does not replace worker coverage, occupational certification, permits, customer approval or equipment records.
Use the body responsible for each question:
- Check workplace safety requirements with your provincial or territorial occupational health and safety regulator.
- Ask your provincial or territorial workers’ compensation board about worker coverage.
- Use the official provincial and territorial government directory (opens in a new tab) to find the occupational certification or technical safety regulator for the equipment or work, if one applies.
- Ask your municipality whether the job needs a tree, road-use, business or other municipal permit.
If the workplace falls under federal jurisdiction, check the current workplace health and safety direction from Employment and Social Development Canada (opens in a new tab). Do not use the federal rules for a workplace governed by a provincial or territorial regulator.
Keep a controlled job-record list. Include every arborist hazard assessment version, briefing attendance and recorded changes, pre-use equipment checks, defects and removals from service, permits, operator or worker records required for that job, and customer-approved change orders. Mark superseded versions, remove them from field circulation and retain them under the applicable authority, contract and company rules.
After closeout, send actual crew time, equipment use, disposal and delays into cost tracking. Use the job-costing guide for actual contractor records for that financial record. Job costs do not belong in the safety assessment, and the safety assessment does not replace job costs.
Put the current assessment in the job pack. At the tree, point out the zones, routes, equipment positions and rescue setup, then complete the arborist hazard assessment briefing before anyone starts setting up.