ISA HK/China --- HK Tree News (Tree Work Accident in Yuen Long)

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Dear Station Members,

Attached is yet another Tree Work Accident (http://orientaldaily.on.cc/) given by the media today in Yuen Long of yesterday.

As reported, the work involved removing a few large trees for site clearance in a Govt construction project. It was carried out by construction workers employed by a 'Specialist Contractor' in certain relevant category deemed to fit for the work. No Arborist involvement was mentioned in the process. As one of the tree was lifted by crane onto the lorry, it was said to have apparently lost balance & fell to strike 8 no. of used vehicles below in a scrap yard. Luckily no one was hurt, or the media would hunt blood after the recent Stanley Tree Failure.

ISA HK/China emphasizes all the time that Tree Work is specialist work & should be supervised on site by trained professionals like Arborists. We recommend Tree Work is to be overlooked by a minimum requirement of Certified Tree Worker (CTW), if not an Independent Practicing Arborist (IPA) (http://isahkchina.blogspot.com/2008/08/isa-hkchina-independent-practicing.html) . IPA was designed to upgrade our clerical Certified Arborists (CA) to be able to manage realistic field operation, & not be afraid to get their hands dirty. We recommend our IPA to stand on site all day to supervise Tree Work & file report after all is finished. If an IPA was employed in the event as above, he/she may have a lot to answer as an independent third party to everybody.

HK may become harder to change in our Tree Work system when compared to China as anticipated in its complex contracting & administrative procedures. ISA HK/China will push ISA Arboriculture into China as our duty & hope Tree Work in our Motherland may become safer & better to show the world.

best regards,

Sammy Au
Station Manager

"Trees are good for the community. Trees need care like human beings. Arborists are the Tree Care Professionals."