Falls from height in tree work: what the regulators say

This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It sets out what regulators in Great Britain, New South Wales, British Columbia, New Zealand and the United States say about the risk of falling from height in tree work. All pages were read on October 9, 2026. The courses that teach this work are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country. HSE text is adapted under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and SafeWork NSW text under CC BY 4.0.

Great Britain

The HSE working at height overview says falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the biggest causes of major injury, and that in tree work they are still common. It gives two figures: around 16% of all reported tree work accidents involve falling from height, and about 6% are due to uncontrolled swings in the tree leading to impact with branches or the trunk. The page sets out the Work at Height Regulations 2005 duties: work is properly planned, including emergencies and rescue, risk assessed, supervised, done by competent people and done with equipment that is inspected and maintained.

It lists a hierarchy of control measures, moving up a step only when a control is judged not practicable: avoid the need to work at height, prevent falls with access equipment such as work platforms or rope access, and reduce the distance and consequences of a fall. It adds that collective measures such as mobile elevating work platforms come before measures that only reduce a fall or give personal protection. The HSE lifting equipment page gives the same order and says that to avoid work at height, arborists should consider pruning low branches from the ground with long-handled tools, taking into account the hazards of over-reaching. It also says a reliable means of rescue must be available and that the main climbing rope and associated equipment are inspected every day by a competent person. The HSE tree-climbing operations page says there must be a second person available who is equipped, trained and capable of an aerial rescue.

New South Wales, Australia

The SafeWork NSW code of practice Tree works says some tree tasks require people to work at heights and that the risks vary with the access method. Its fall prevention section says climbers remain attached to the tree, including when changing positions or attachment points, and that climbers carry at least two methods of attachment, with two points of attachment when operating cutting equipment or where extra stability is needed. It says that when a climbing rope is part of the fall prevention system, the rope is kept taut to limit the fall distance to 600 mm or less, and that before a climber disconnects an existing system at a branch junction the new system is checked, preloaded and supporting body weight.

On ladders the code says they present a significant risk, are considered only when no other reasonably practicable option exists, and that platform ladders are preferred over single or extension ladders. It says a fall prevention system must be used, and that safer alternatives such as elevating work platforms or rope access are used wherever possible. For cliffs, retaining walls and steep ground it says industrial rope access is adopted and standard tree climbing systems are not used.

British Columbia, Canada

The WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation Part 26 says that before accessing the tree the climber is secured to it by the tree-climbing system and remains secured until work is finished and the climber is back on the ground. It says each climbing line uses at least one anchor point, with independent anchor points where practicable, that the system is positioned to minimise a pendulum-like swing into an object, that a stopper knot is tied at the end of each climbing line, and that a cutting tool is run only when the climber is tied in with a line or lanyard and a second means of securement. The regulation adds that the employer ensures the climber can be promptly rescued, that the climbing system is inspected by a qualified arborist before first use on each shift and that all of it is removed from service immediately if any piece arrests a fall.

New Zealand

The WorkSafe New Zealand approved code of practice for safety and health in arboriculture says fall restraint should be used whenever a climber is aloft, with no more than 0.5 metres of slack in the climbing line. It says the climber is tied in until back on the ground, with supplementary anchor points where a fall or swing that may cause injury is possible. It says all tree work requiring an arborist to ascend above three metres has a second person on site trained in aerial rescue. The code notes that it has not been updated to the 2015 health and safety Act and regulations.

United States

OSHA's 2021 enforcement memo on tree care says fall and struck-by hazards are leading causes of death and serious injury for tree care workers, and that workers can fall from trees or from aerial lifts. For climbing, changing location and work aloft in trees it points inspectors to the personal protective equipment rules in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I and to 29 CFR 1910.140 on personal fall protection systems. It quotes 1910.140(c)(13) as requiring anchorages used in trees to support at least 5,000 pounds for each employee attached, or to be designed, installed and used under a qualified person as part of a system with a safety factor of at least two. For ladders it names the walking-working surfaces rules in Subpart D, and for aerial devices 29 CFR 1910.67.

At a glance

Place	Source	Figure or limit it states
Great Britain	HSE overview	16% of reported tree work accidents are falls from height; 6% are uncontrolled swings
New South Wales	Tree works code	Fall distance of 600 mm or less with a taut rope; two attachment methods
British Columbia	OHS Regulation Part 26	Second means of securement when a cutting tool is run
New Zealand	Approved code	0.5 metres of slack at most; rescue person above three metres
United States	OSHA memo	Tree anchorage 5,000 pounds per employee, or safety factor of two under a qualified person

Rescue duties are in the guide to aerial rescue. Lift licences and rules are in the guide to bucket trucks and EWPs, and the standards for harnesses and lanyards are in the guides to saddles and harnesses and climbing lines and lanyards.