Fatigue and psychosocial hazards 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 SafeWork NSW, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain and WorkSafe New Zealand say about fatigue, with the New South Wales code's section on psychosocial hazards. All pages were read on October 9, 2026. SafeWork NSW text is adapted under CC BY 4.0, HSE text under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and WorkSafe New Zealand pages are credited as the source. The courses that teach the work are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country.

New South Wales, Australia

The SafeWork NSW Tree works code of practice has a section on fatigue. It says physical or mental fatigue can reduce a worker's ability to perform tasks safely and raise the risk of injury, that many tree tasks are physically demanding, and that heavier tasks such as lifting and clearing branches are often left until the end of the day. It uses the term "last cut syndrome" for continuing a task despite fatigue, which it says may be safer to postpone until the worker is rested.

The code lists what can influence fatigue: too little sleep over consecutive days, delays such as bad weather that lead to a faster work rate and fewer breaks, poor scheduling that underestimates the time a task takes, inadequate staffing, emergency work such as storm response, long travel to remote sites, high heat or adverse weather, and workers attending unfit through illness, injury or other personal factors. It says a person conducting a business or undertaking should consider these controls: work practices that reduce effort and strain, plant and machinery to assist, enough workers, better-suited equipment, schedules with breaks and recovery time, water and food, managing travel times, checks that workers are fit for work and aware of fatigue risks, and adjusting schedules in heat or extreme conditions. It points to the separate code of practice on managing the risk of fatigue at work. The code also says a climber can become fatigued, that climber fatigue can impair decision making, and that fatigue from climbing in hot or humid climates is one reason the crane access method may be considered.

The section before it covers psychosocial hazards. The code says a business has a duty to manage them, to eliminate the risk or, if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise it. It lists matters to weigh, including how long, how often and how severely workers are exposed and how work is designed, and gives examples: role overload, hazardous physical working environments, remote or isolated work, bullying and harassment. It points to the separate code of practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work. Support and counselling services are listed in the guide to mental health and support.

Great Britain

The HSE fatigue page is written for shift work in all industries and does not mention tree work. It describes fatigue as a decline in mental or physical performance from prolonged exertion, sleep loss or disruption of the internal clock, and says it leads to slower reactions, memory lapses, reduced awareness and underestimation of risk. It says the legal duty to manage fatigue is on employers, whatever the willingness of an individual to work extra hours, and that compliance with the Working Time Regulations alone is insufficient. It says accidents are more frequent on night shifts, after a succession of shifts, when shifts are long and when breaks are inadequate. It names the workload, activity, timing and length of shifts, direction of rotation and breaks as key factors in schedule design, and says there is no single optimal shift system. It links the HSE guidance on managing shift work (HSG256) and a fatigue risk index tool.

New Zealand

The WorkSafe New Zealand fatigue topic page describes fatigue as a state of physical or mental exhaustion that reduces a person's ability to work safely and effectively. Its quick guide says businesses and workers both have a responsibility to manage fatigue. The page links guidance on shift work for businesses, workers and small businesses, a literature review of fatigue interventions, posters, videos and two case studies. The approved code of practice for arboriculture, read on October 9, 2026, uses the word fatigue once, in its driving rules, which say a driver who is suffering from fatigue does not drive and stops or swaps drivers.

At a glance

Storm work is covered in the guide to storm work, and other health risks in the guide to health hazards.

Sources

• SafeWork NSW, Tree works code of practice, March 2026, licensed CC BY 4.0, read October 9, 2026
• HSE, fatigue, Open Government Licence v3.0, read October 9, 2026
• WorkSafe New Zealand, fatigue, read October 9, 2026
• WorkSafe New Zealand, approved code of practice for safety and health in arboriculture, read October 9, 2026