Published 26 Sept 2025
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2 min read
What is a Tree Work Safety Checklist?
A tree work safety checklist is a tool for helping arborists and other people conduct work at heights with trees and other tall plants. It helps ensure workers are using the right safety gear, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and other assistive tools, as well as following the proper safety procedures for different types of activities and situations.
Importance
Working with trees and managing them is an essential part of ensuring worker safety and bystander safety in construction sites, electrical sites, and other repair work sites, all while keeping trees in good condition and mitigating damage to the environment and humankind as a whole. However, it is also a type of work that comes with many risks, such as:
fallen branches that can cause physical harm;
exposure to storms, lightning, extreme heat, and strong winds;
electrocutions from hanging electrical wires;
fire hazards from trees or nearby; and
falling from high places.
To keep track of the hazards of your arborists and other employees working with trees, having a checklist can be very helpful. With the right tree work safety checklist, you can easily identify and mitigate these risks early on. Should you or your workers encounter these hazards on the job, you can also use a tree work safety checklist to report them and create the necessary actions for them.
What to Include in a Tree Work Safety Checklist
A tree work safety checklist often has fields for the following:
The type of tree work to be done
General safety precautions to do or follow
Usage of the right PPE
Usage of the necessary fall protection equipment based on the task to be done
Usage of ladders
Usage of the proper power and hand tools
Proper fire prevention and first aid practices to follow in case of emergency
Usage of wood chippers, bucket trucks, and cranes if necessary
Here is a sample tree work safety checklist for your reference:
