Lowering loads: what the NSW, NZ and UK codes say
What the SafeWork NSW code, the WorkSafe New Zealand arboriculture code and the HSE lifting equipment page say about lowering branches and tree sections: rated equipment, the safe working load, where the lowering point sits, who stands where, and how hardware is marked.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
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 three sources on roping and lowering tree sections. All pages were read on October 9, 2026. The courses that teach rigging are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country, and the UK award for it is on the page for aerial tree rigging. Rigging terms are defined in the guide on rigging words, examination rules in gear inspection rules, and the zone rules in the guide on drop zones and exclusion zones.
Credits. Wording from the SafeWork NSW Tree works code of practice is adapted under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, with sentences shortened and reworded. Wording from HSE is adapted from a page licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Wording from the WorkSafe New Zealand code is adapted with the source and copyright status acknowledged.
SafeWork NSW: chapter 8 on lowering
In the SafeWork NSW Tree works code of practice lowering gets its own chapter. Its general precautions say the climber gives clear warning to the ground workers before any timber is cut, dropped or lowered, and the ground workers acknowledge it and clear the drop zone. They say climbing ropes and equipment are not used for lowering or dismantling trees, that the climbing system rope is kept separate from the lowering system rope, and that heavy loads are not controlled without the help of a friction drum. They say no person is positioned under a suspended load, and that a separate tag line gives more control over where a load lands.
The chapter on worker competency says lowering ropes need co-ordination between at least two competent workers, one cutting the sections and one controlling the load, and lists what training covers: calculating the weight of loads, working load limits, slinging configurations, centre of gravity and hand and whistle signals.
On equipment, the code says lowering equipment is proprietary manufactured and load rated, with the rated strength known before use and shown by a label, stamp or plate, the manual, or a lifting equipment register. It says the safe working load is never exceeded and that the forces of possible shock loading are calculated. It says the lowering point is not located over the operating area of the lowering device, and if that cannot be avoided the device is set up on an adjacent tree. It says a lowering system is only as strong as its weakest component, that a sling can lose strength through reeving or wider angles, and that a carabiner or shackle is not used in place of a pulley. It describes three kinds of lowering anchor: primary, secondary and redirection. Equipment is inspected before, during and after each use, and faulty equipment is removed from service.
WorkSafe New Zealand: sections 3.4.4 and 3.4.6
Section 3.4.4 of the WorkSafe New Zealand arboriculture code says no one carries out tree dismantling without having shown competence, that effective communication is kept between the arborist in the tree and the ground crew before cutting and lowering, and that in roping down and slinging the weight of the sections is assessed so the lowering point and ropes do not exceed safe working loads.
Section 3.4.6 covers winches, wire ropes and accessories. It says tackle blocks, pulleys, connecting links, chokers and slings are inspected before use and removed from service if worn or damaged, that no person remains in the bight of a working rope, that knots in wire rope are prohibited, and that line pull does not exceed the safe working load of the rope or its accessories, set for arboricultural operations at one-sixth of the breaking strength. It also says eye-to-eye splices are not made in a pulling or lifting rope.
HSE: lifting equipment in arboriculture
HSE's page Lifting equipment in arboriculture says the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 treat rigging systems for lowering branches as lifting equipment, along with ropes, carabiners, strops and anchor points. It says lifting equipment, including accessories, is clearly marked with its safe working load, and rigging systems for lowering branches are marked to show they are not designed to carry people. It says anchor points in trees for rigging form part of the lifting equipment. On positioning, the page says lifting equipment is positioned to minimise the need to lift loads over people, that roping down of branches is controlled with a friction device or other suitable system, and that control lines are attached to cut timber where needed to stop contact with people or objects.
Where the three sources overlap
| Source | Safe working load | Under the load |
|---|---|---|
| SafeWork NSW code | Not exceeded; shock loads calculated | No person under a suspended load |
| WorkSafe NZ code | Line pull not above it; one-sixth of breaking strength | No person in the bight of a working rope |
| HSE page | Marked on all lifting equipment | Lifting over people kept to a minimum |