Tree surgery safety

Rob Fletcher, assessor and instructor at Shuttleworth College, is a man with a mission to ensure the safety of people using machinery to prune or fell trees, at a time when accidents are increasing nationally.

He explained: “A significant increase in accidents could be due to businesses cutting back on training, both in the landscaping and construction fields. New legislation and insurance requirements put the emphasis on safety and Shuttleworth College offer a variety of courses from one day intensive courses to short courses over a few weeks.   People need to be aware of safety when tackling tree surgery and we can give them that awareness and knowledge.”

Shuttleworth College is the only college in Bedfordshire and the wider area offering management and care of trees as additional qualifications.

George Moore of GCK Trees has attended a number of short courses at Shuttleworth College focusing on aspects of tree surgery such as climbing trees with rope, harness and chain saw. He recently attended a one day course on safety and maintenance of specialist chipper machinery where brushwood is fed into the chipper, with the end product a biomass wood fuel used in power stations.

George said: “For people who are looking to get their qualifications up to date, Shuttleworth College is a brilliant place. The courses can be flexible to meet each individual person's needs and that is particularly important for small businesses.”

To find out more, please call the College on 01767 626222.