Renting a stump grinder or chipper: what the regulators and extension services say

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It is not training and does not teach the work. Training for people who work in trees is covered in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country. No hire company or machine make is named.

What extension services say about hired machines

Illinois Extension, in Removing Tree Stumps, dated June 20, 2014, says some landscaping firms, tree removal services and community street departments offer mechanical stump grinders, and that a grinding machine is often the quickest means of removal. South Dakota State University Extension, in How to Remove a Stump, describes hiring a service to do the grinding rather than the owner running the machine. Neither page gives hire terms for an owner.

What the Health and Safety Executive's stump grinder leaflet covers

The HSE leaflet AFAG606 Mobile stump grinders covers safe working practices when using mobile stump-grinding machinery. It says to use the leaflet along with the manufacturer's handbook as part of a risk assessment, and that operators must have been trained appropriately both in running the machine and in the tasks involved. The leaflet then sets out, in its own words, these groups of points:

personal protective equipment: a safety helmet where the risk assessment calls for one, hearing protection where noise exceeds 85 dB(A), eye protection, boots, gloves with reinforced palms and fingers, and non-snag clothing;
the machine: belts, shafts and fan blades guarded, debris curtains around the cutting head present and intact, a clearly marked engine-stopping device within reach of the operator, and a fire extinguisher at hand;
fuelling: the engine stopped before refuelling and fuel kept away from ignition sources;
preparing to work: warning signs on approaches to the site, extra controls such as barriers in areas of high public access, and work stopped if the safe working area is breached;
operating the machine: a check of the site for underground services, a check of the stump for stones and metal, and the operator kept where there is a clear view of the cutting;
maintenance and emergencies: maintenance to the manufacturer's handbook, daily checks of the cutters, and a responsible person who knows the daily work programme and an emergency contact procedure.

The leaflet says following the guidance is not compulsory unless specifically stated, and that doing so will normally be enough to comply with the law. Its text is Crown copyright and was published under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and the summary above is adapted from it. The guide on calling before you dig lists the locate services by country.

What OSHA points to for chippers

The OSHA Tree Care Industry page Hazards and Solutions lists, among its resources, an OSHA bulletin titled Hazards of Wood Chippers, dated April 16, 2008, and a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publication from August 1999 which the page describes as covering the hazards of working near or operating wood chippers, with recommendations for prevention. It also links state fatality investigation reports from the NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, including one involving a wood chipper and one a stump grinder. The reports are for workers, and no victims are named here. The guide on chippers and stump grinders describes what the regulators publish on both machines.

What ISA says

The International Society of Arboriculture brochure on storm-related tree damage lists operating tree-cutting machinery and removal equipment among the hazards of tree damage repair, and says such work, especially debris cleanup, is inherently dangerous and should be carried out by a professional arborist.

What the sources cover

Source	Covers
HSE AFAG606	Training, protective equipment, guards, services check, emergencies
OSHA tree care page	Points to chipper hazard documents and fatality investigation reports
Illinois Extension	Where grinding machines are available from
South Dakota State Extension	Hiring a grinding service
ISA	Tree-cutting machinery as a hazard of storm repair

None of these sources gives hire terms, a deposit, an insurance condition or a training check for a hirer, and the pages do not say what a hire business must tell a customer.

Who to call

Call before you dig: the free utility locate services by country, for work that breaks ground
Machine recall registers: recall notices for chippers and shredders, from the safety offices that issue them
OSHA, tree care industry: the US federal safety page on tree care work
Health and Safety Executive, tree work: the Great Britain regulator's tree work hub