HAZARD/RISK:Loading and moving wood

Z133 GUIDANCE:Each person (employee or otherwise) shall be responsible for his/her own safety while at the worksite and shall comply with the appropriate federal or state occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders that are applicable to his/her own actions and conduct.

ACTION STEPS: Most back injuries, and all the pain and inconvenience that go with them, are preventable.

Tree workers must have the strength and stamina

to lift relatively heavy loads over relatively long time periods.

Increased ergonomics-oriented awareness, train-ing and hazard reduction will reduce injuries, lost work time and associated costs.

• Receive training that addresses the specific hazard.

• Perform warm up exercises prior to lifting heavy loads – such as hamstring, neck and lower back stretches.

• Use proper lifting techniques to protect your body from strain and sprains.

• Avoid awkward postures when lifting and moving wood.

• Keep your core muscles strong – abdominal ex-ercises are important for long-term body health.

• Use situational awareness when performing lifting

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-2622

Tree WorkerA MONTHLY RESOURCE FOR TREE CARE PROFESSIONALS k JANUARY 2017 • Number 407

continued on page 4

continued on page 2 1

Personal Protective Ergonomics

Start Your Engines!Cold-weather, diesel-engine-starting blues? Starting diesel en-gines during cold weather can be frustrating if engines are not properly prepared for lower temperatures.

Diesel engines may power your chipper, stump grinder or skid steer (some are powered by gasoline). If you have a diesel- operated machine, it is considered an internal combustion engine and operates when fuel is injected into a combustion chamber, heated and compressed.

Caution: When buying a

heater, consult the charts at an auto

parts store or dealership to

match the wattage of the heater to the size of your engine and the

range of weather you expect to

encounter

2

Start Your Engines! continued fom page 1

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-2622

Because diesel engines use the heat from compression to start and not an electric spark plug, they’ve always been harder to start in cold weather than gasoline-powered vehicles. To warm things up before the engine can run, a variety of heaters have been developed that keep various parts of the machine warm even if it isn’t being operated.

Some of these gadgets may be on the vehicle when you buy it; others you can buy and install later on if the need for them arises.

HEATING AIDS• If you cannot store engines inside or in a heated area, install a block

heater on the engine. Block heaters keep the engine warm overnight. To save time and electricity, put the block heater on an electrical timer set to come on a couple of hours before you plan to start the engine. A 50-foot extension cord might come in handy for this since it needs to be plugged in.

3TREEWORKER | JANUARY 2017

• Glow plugs may be used to aid starting in cold weather, or when the engine uses a lower com-pression-ratio, or both. Glow plugs heat the internal combustion chamber area to suitable temperatures for combustion.

FUELS AND ADDITIVES• Keep the fuel tank full to prevent condensation

inside the tank. Water from condensation can freeze and plug fuel lines from the tank to the engine.

• Add winter diesel fuel additive to the fuel to lower the possibility of gelling and improve starting.

• If you suspect fuel has gelled from cold tempera-tures, change the fuel filter and warm the fuel (wait for the outside temperature to rise, use a block heater or put the equipment inside a heated area) before attempting to start the engine. Gelled fuel in the filter can block the flow of fuel from the tank to the injector pump.

• Make sure you are using the proper viscosity oil recommended for your engine for cold temperatures.

BATTERIES• Keep battery fully charged in extremely cold

weather.

• If batteries need replacement, always replace with a battery equal to or more powerful than the original battery.

• Batteries that are weak may not crank the starter motor fast enough or long enough to start a cold engine. As the temperature goes down, so does battery capacity.

• The warmer the battery is, the more power it can provide to the starter motor to crank the engine.

OPERATION• Do not crank the starter more than 10 seconds

at a time.

• After starting the engine on a cold day, allow the engine to warm up a few minutes before putting it under load. Warm engine oil allows proper lubri-cation of engine parts in order to prevent damage.

• Avoid over-revving when the engine is cold

Caution: Never use engine-starting fluids to start your engine. The ether in these fluids can ignite at very low temperatures – risking a possible fire or explosion.

• If all else fails, try to park the machine inside a building overnight, if possible. Or take a Cold Day and participate in indoor training.

tasks. Stay mindful on correct body positioning.

• Do not try to lift more weight than you can handle at one time.

• Get help with awkward loads.

• Make sure you have solid footing before lifting weight.

• Do not over reach.

Your most important job of any day is to be able to work tomorrow

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-2622

Personal Protective Ergonomics continued fom page 1

4

SAVE YOUR BACK.

techniques

Basic Tips for Skid-Steer Stability

5TREEWORKER | JANUARY 2017

When a skid steer loader becomes unstable or out of balance, it can tip over. Overloading, carrying loads too high, operating on rough or uneven surfaces, adding attachments or driving too fast for condi-tions cause the loader to become unstable. Human reaction time is too slow to stop a rollover once it starts. You can avoid rollovers by recognizing dan-gerous situations and taking action to avoid them.

Preventing Rollover Accidents Do not overload the attachment. o Check the capacity label, data plate, or operator’s

manual for the maximum load limit. Exceeding that limit may cause the loader to become un-stable and roll over. A skid steer can tip forward from excessive weight in the bucket or from a heavy attachment if it is in a raised position. A forward tip can throw the operator out of the protective cab if the seat restraint is not used, allowing the skid-steer to run over the operator or the operator to be crushed by the skid steer bucket and/or load.

o Load, unload and turn on solid, level ground, if possible. Avoid holes, large bumps and soft ground. These can make the loader unstable.

o Keep the center of mass or center of gravity of the load evenly on the attachment to prevent tip over.

o Secure unstable loads to prevent shifting or falling. When securing is necessary, lower the lift arms, shut off the engine, climb out, chain the load in place, climb back in the cab, start the loader and proceed with the job.

o Lift loads slowly and smoothly to keep the loader stable.

o Carry loads close to the ground, yet high enough to clear obstacles. A load carried too high can cause the skid steer to tip.

o Operate at a speed that is appropriate for con-ditions so you don’t lose control of the loader.

Drive up and down hills, not across them. Drive slowly on slopes. o Keep the heavy end of the loader pointed uphill.

When loaded, skid steer loaders should be driven with the load uphill. When unloaded, the rear of the loader is heavier, so the back of an empty loader should be pointed up hill. If you are not sure of which end is heaviest because of added attachments, check the operator’s manual.

o Do not make sharp turns on hills or the loader may roll over.

continued on page 6

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-26226

Made possible in part by ourCROWN PACT Partners

ISSN 1529-4854Editor – Tchukki Andersen, Staff Arborist,

BCMA, CTSPGraphic Design & Layout – Kathleen Costello©2017 All rights reserved. All materials contained

herein are for the information of The TreeWorker subscribers. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION IS NOT PERMITTED. Pictures, articles and other data are in no way to be construed as an endorsement of products, techniques or members.

The TreeWorker is published monthly by the Tree Care Industry Association, Inc., 136 Harvey Road, Suite 101, Londonderry, NH 03053

Call 1-800-733-2622 to order and Sachin Mohan at ext. 111 to advertise. Articles in The TreeWorker meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z133 for safety in arboricultural operation and the ANSI A300 series of standards for the management of trees. These standards are industry consensus standards that apply only to readers in the United States of America.

The TreeWorker readers in countries other than the United States of America are cautioned that your local and/or national standards may or may not be similar to ANSI standards. You are advised to research and apply your local and/or national standards to all standard practices represented in The TreeWorker articles.

Basic Tips for Skid-Steer Stabilitycontinued from page 5

o The operator’s manual defines the maximum slope for your loader.

o If you must cross railroad tracks, ditches, curbs or similar rough surfaces, cross at an angle and drive slowly.

A rollover can occur any time the machine is being operated on steep slopes or uneven terrain. Skid steers can be unstable when combined with a heavy load in the loader bucket raised high. Read the operation manual and receive training from a Qualified Instructor before attempting to move large loads over hilly terrain for the first time.

As with everything else, take small loads low and slow in order to stay in control of the machine.

Don’t Rollover

1. It‛s aganst the rules of proper skidsteer operation.

2. Roll overstend to agra-vate themanagment.

3. You might get hurt.

GOOD

GOOD

GOODGOOD

BAD

BAD

BADBAD

7Mr. Safetyby Bryan KotwicaTREEWORKER | JANUARY 2017

2. Roll overs tend to agravate the management.

1. It’s against the rules of proper skid steer operation.

PUBLISHED BY THE TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TCIA.ORG 800-733-26228

CTSP CEU QUIZ Value .25 CTSP CEUs

Mail: TCIA Safety, 136 Harvey Road, Ste. 101, Londonderry, NH 03053Fax: (603) 314-5386 or Scan and email to: ikochurov@tcia.org. Please print legibly:

Your Name: _______________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________________

CTSP Cert Number: ________________________________________

1. Which is an action step that can prevent ergonomic injuries from moving wood?

a. Perform stretching exercises for hamstrings neck and back after lifting heavy loads

b. Use proper lifting techniques only when lifting more than 75 lbs c. Always use proper lifting techniques d. There are no preventable actions to avoid ergonomic injuries

2. Why are diesel engines harder to start in cold weather than gasoline powered engines?

a. Diesel engines are larger and take more time to heat up b. They use heat from compression to start with, not spark plugs c. They are external combustion engines d. The oil in the fuel separates in lower temperatures

3. The function of glow plugs on a diesel engine is: a. Glow plugs are best used only on gasoline powered engines b. Warm up the spark plugs c. Provide lighting in the engine area for repairs in the dark d. Heat the internal combustion chamber area to aid combustion

4. To limit your exposure to back injuries: a. Delegate lifting to the new guy b. Wear appropriate winter clothing

c. Use the right lifting tools d. Drag heavy loads rather than lift them

5. Which action will help prevent skid steer tip overs? a. Lift loads slowly and smoothly b. Carry loads close to the ground c. Operate at speeds appropriate for the conditions d. All of the above

The answers to this month’s quiz will be published in the February 2017 issue of the TreeWorker.

JANUARY 2017

Answers to December 2016 CTSP Quiz: 1. c 2. d 3. c 4. a 5. d