Code of Maryland Regulations
Title 09 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Subtitle 12 - DIVISION OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Chapter 09.12.28 - Tree Care and Removal
Section 09.12.28.06 - Work Practices
Universal Citation: MD Code Reg 09.12.28.06
Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 19, September 20, 2024
A. The following work practices shall be implemented:
(1)
Communication between employees aloft and on the ground shall be established
before cutting and dropping limbs;
(2) Scabbards or sheaths shall be used to
carry handsaws when not in use;
(3)
Folding saws, when not in use, shall be closed and hooked to the arborist
saddle;
(4) A separate workline
shall be attached to limbs that cannot be dropped safely or controlled by
hand;
(5) Arborist climbing lines
and worklines may not be secured to the same crotch; and
(6) Cut branches shall be removed from the
canopy of the tree upon completion of work.
B. Cabling.
(1) Employees on the ground may not enter
under the drop zone of a tree when a cabling system is being installed, unless
the employee aloft has established it is safe to do so.
(2) Tools used for cabling, bark tracing, and
cavity work shall be carried in a bag, on a belt designed to hold such tools,
or attached to a tool lanyard.
(3)
Employees installing cabling systems in trees shall be positioned off to one
side in order to avoid injury in case of cable system failure that could occur
when a block and tackle or a hand winch is released.
C. Tree Removal.
(1) Before beginning any tree removal
operation, the employer shall carefully consider all relevant factors
pertaining to the tree and site and shall take appropriate actions to assure a
safe removal operation, including the following factors:
(a) The area surrounding the tree to be
removed, including nearby trees;
(b) Species and shape of the tree;
(c) Lean of the tree;
(d) Loose limbs, chunks, or other overhead
material;
(e) Wind force and
direction;
(f) Decayed or weak
spots throughout the tree, including awareness of additional hazards if these
conditions exist in the hinge area;
(g) Location and means to protect other
persons, property, and electrical conductors;
(h) Size and terrain characteristics or
limitations of the work area; and
(i) Evidence of bees or wildlife habitation
in the tree.
(2)
Employees not directly involved in the removal operation shall be beyond the
area where the tree could fall and at a minimum distance of twice the tree's
height as practicable.
(3) An
escape route free from debris and other obstructions for employees shall be
established before cutting any standing tree or trunk.
(4) The following shall be implemented:
(a) Notches shall be used on all trees and
trunks greater than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in diameter;
(b) Notches and back cuts shall be made at a
height that enables the chain saw operator to safely begin the cut, control the
tree or trunk, and allows for escape;
(c) Notches shall be 45 degrees or greater
and large enough to guide the fall of the tree or trunk to prevent
splitting;
(d) Notch depth may not
exceed 1/3 the diameter of the tree;
(e) The back cut may not penetrate into the
predetermined hinge area;
(f) Any
back cut shall be 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) above the apex of the
notch to provide an adequate platform to prevent kickback of the tree or
trunk;
(g) An open-face notch
greater than 70 degrees shall have a back cut at the same level as the apex of
the notch;
(h) The two cuts that
form the notch may not cross at the point where they meet;
(i) In accordance with the job briefing
requirements of Regulation .05I of this chapter, the designated employee shall
give a command such as "stand clear" before the back cut is made; and
(j) When the back cut has been completed, the
employee operating the chain saw shall immediately move a safe distance away
from the tree or trunk using the planned escape route.
D. Brush Removal and Chipping.
(1) Loose clothing, climbing equipment, body
belts, harnesses, lanyards, or gauntlet-type gloves may not be worn while
operating chippers.
(2) Brush and
logs shall be fed into chippers, butt or cut end first, from the side of the
feed table center line, and the employee shall immediately turn away from the
feed table when brush is taken into the rotor or feed rollers.
(3) Chippers shall be fed from the curbside
whenever practical.
(4) Foreign
material, such as stones, nails, sweepings, and rakings, may not be fed into
chippers.
(5) Small branches shall
be fed into chippers with longer branches or by being pushed with a long
stick.
(6) Hands or other parts of
the body may not be placed into the infeed hopper.
(7) Leaning into or pushing material into the
infeed hopper with feet is prohibited;
(8) The winch cable used in chipper
operations shall be properly stored before initiating chipper
operations.
E. The following pesticide measures shall be followed during the pesticide application:
(1) Pesticides shall be used and
applied in strict accordance with the Pesticide Applicator's Law, Agriculture
Article, §§5-201 -5-211, Annotated
Code of Maryland, and COMAR
15.05.01.01B-15.05.01.20B;
(2) An adequate potable water source shall be
provided at the work site for emergency personal decontamination; and
(3) Water for decontamination and drinking
shall be kept in separate containers.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Maryland may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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