Safety rules for tree work, country by country

This page describes what the rules and standards say and where to find them. Page details below are as of October 5, 2026, and rules change.

United States

There is no OSHA standard written just for tree care. OSHA's own page on standards for tree care says the industry must comply with the general industry standards in 29 CFR 1910. It points to walking-working surfaces and fall protection, personal protective equipment (including foot protection and hand protection) and electrical rules.

The same OSHA page names ANSI Z133.1 and A300 as voluntary national consensus standards. It adds that compliance with an ANSI standard does not ensure compliance with OSHA policy.

OSHA has been working on a tree care rule for years. Its rulemaking page lists an advance notice on September 15, 2008, a stakeholder meeting on July 13, 2016 and small business review panel calls in April and May 2020. It says the step after that is to publish a proposed rule. The docket number is OSHA-2008-0012.

OSHA enforcement guidance

OSHA's inspection guidance memo of June 24, 2021 says OSHA cancelled its 2008 tree care citation directive on June 24, 2021 and issued guidance in its place. The memo says three things worth knowing.

Anchors. 29 CFR 1910.140(c)(13) requires an anchorage used for climbing, changing location or working above the ground in trees to support at least 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) for each employee attached, or to be designed, installed and used under a qualified person as part of a complete system with a safety factor of at least two.
Anchor check. The memo quotes ANSI Z133-2017, section 8.1.11: a climber setting a line from the ground inspects the anchor point from the ground and, if suitable, loads it to about twice the climber's weight before climbing. OSHA says it would not cite where a qualified person followed that.
Legs and noise. Inspectors are told to look at the provision and use of cut-resistant leg protection for chain saw work under the general PPE standard, and at hearing conservation where noise reaches an 8-hour average of 85 dBA.

California

Some states run their own plans. California's Title 8, Article 12 (sections 3420 to 3428), applies to tree and ornamental palm maintenance and removal. Section 3427 says employees working aloft wear a tree worker's saddle and have at least two means of being secured, such as a climbing line and a work positioning lanyard. Section 3425 says chain saws are not drop started, and saws over fifteen pounds used in trees hang from a separate line or lanyard, with exceptions listed in the text. Section 3421 says tree-work training must be documented before an employee works without a qualified person watching. Other states set their own rules.

ANSI Z133

Z133 is the safety and health requirements standard for arboricultural operations. The ISA release page says the 2026 edition came out on May 27, 2026, in English and Spanish. It says the PDF is a free download for individual use and print copies are sold. The ISA store listing shows ANSI Z133-2026 at US$29.95 for non-members and US$24.95 for ISA members.

TCI Magazine, the TCIA trade magazine, reported on August 12, 2026 that the 2026 electrical rules sort workers into four levels by what they are qualified to do: unqualified, qualified up to 750 volts, qualified up to 35 kV, and line clearance qualified for all voltages. The detail is in the TCI Magazine article.

Power line work

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 covers line-clearance tree trimming done to clear space around power lines, for an organization that operates those lines. For qualified line-clearance trimmers, the whole section applies except paragraph (r)(1). For trimmers who are not qualified employees, the section lists only some paragraphs as applying: (a)(2), (a)(3), (b), (c), (g), (k), (p) and (r). An OSHA letter of April 26, 1999 says (r)(1) holds special electrical work practices for line-clearance trimmers that are more stringent than those for other qualified employees. The full text is on the OSHA site.

Canada

Workplace safety is set by each province and territory, so there is no single national tree-care rule.

Alberta. The Occupational Health and Safety Code has a short Part 39, "Tree Care Operations" (sections 792 to 796). It applies to pruning, repairing, maintaining or removing trees or cutting brush when a worker works at height and depends on the tree for support. The employer must develop and use safe work practices that cover hazard assessment, training, equipment and PPE, work positioning and fall protection systems, and emergency rescue. A harness made on or after March 31, 2023 and used in a work positioning system must be approved to one of five listed standards, including CSA Z259.10-18 and EN 361. Where the general fall protection rule (section 139) is not reasonably practicable, the employer must ensure a worker uses a work positioning system. The code's general rule on knots (section 150.3) does not apply to arboriculture work covered by Part 39. See Part 39 on the Alberta government site.
Saskatchewan. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, section 7-10, says a worker at risk of a cut to the lower body must use safety pants or chaps, and that a worker operating a chain saw is deemed to be exposed to that risk. The regulations also say a chain saw must have an effective chain brake or a chain and bar designed to minimize kickback. See the regulations PDF.
British Columbia. WorkSafeBC publishes the OHS Regulation online. Part 8 covers personal protective clothing and equipment, including leg protection for chain saw operators. The Part 8 page is the place to read it. Part 26 is titled "Forestry Operations and Similar Activities"; how far it reaches into tree care is a question for WorkSafeBC.
Ontario. The IHSA chain saws page quotes the construction regulation: a worker must be trained before using a chain saw and must wear adequate PPE including gloves, plus eye and hearing protection. It also says chain saws used in construction must have anti-kickback chains and a chain brake to stop the chain from moving when the saw is not in use. That text does not name leg protection or a standard. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) publish a suite of free health and safety resources for arboriculture and landscaping. The page lists an arborist industry safe work practices guide and tailgate talks. See the IHSA arboriculture page.

Quebec sets its own rules.

United Kingdom

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) runs a tree work hub. It is split into safety hazards, forestry and arboriculture workers, site management, health topics such as noise and vibration, and resources.

Climbing and work at height

On the HSE site, the tree climbing page says the Work at Height Regulations 2005 do not ban climbing. Climbing with personal fall protection is allowed only when a risk assessment shows it can be done safely, safer options such as platforms are not justified, and the users have specific training, including rescue. It describes work positioning and rope access, and points to the ICoP for Arboriculture Treework at Height and Technical Guide 1, Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue.

Two anchors, two lines, two people

The HSE tree climbing page says that in the tree the climbing system should, where possible, attach to two load-bearing anchor points. It also says rope access and positioning should only be used with at least two separately anchored lines, one working and one safety, unless a risk assessment shows a second line adds higher risk. HSE's aerial work page says a minimum of two people must be present during all aerial work, and one of the ground team must be available, competent and equipped to do an aerial rescue without delay.

Lifting equipment

On the HSE site, the lifting equipment page treats climbing, rigging and anchor equipment as lifting equipment under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). It links LOLER with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It says arborists should be trained to do a daily pre-use check and that a written weekly record should be kept for high-wear items such as ropes. LOLER regulation 9 sets thorough examination at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for accessories, and at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment, or in accordance with an examination scheme. The regulation text has the conditions.

AFAG

The Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group is an advisory group of HSE's Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee. It meets twice a year. Its 19 organizations include the Arboricultural Association, the Forestry Commission, trade unions and training providers. HSE's AFAG page says its committee papers are on the AFAG pages.

Australia

Work health and safety law is run by each state and territory regulator, with Safe Work Australia producing national guidance.

SafeWork NSW issued a safety alert on July 22, 2024 after seven serious incidents involving tree work since February 2024. Its safety alert says to always keep two points of attachment to the tree, particularly when climbing or cutting, and to wear adequate PPE such as safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection. It asks for a site-specific risk assessment before work starts. Among the documents it lists are the Amenity Tree Industry Code of Practice, Safe Work Australia's Guide to managing the risks of tree work, and the Work near overhead powerlines Code of Practice. The editorial note of the SafeWork NSW Tree works code of practice says that code commenced on March 27, 2026 and replaces the 1998 Amenity Tree Industry Code of practice.

WorkSafe Victoria's notice of January 28, 2020 says a coroner noted research by the Coroners Prevention Unit, which found that 31 people had died in Victoria from tree felling or related activity between January 2012 and September 2018, and that 13 of those deaths happened at work. See the WorkSafe Victoria notice.

WorkSafe Victoria and the other state regulators publish their own tree guidance.

New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand hosts the Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture. It is aimed at climbing, pruning, trimming, maintaining and removing trees, cutting brush and using equipment for those jobs, where no electrical hazards are involved. The code was made under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. It describes itself as a statement of preferred work practices that a court may consider.

WorkSafe says the code has not been updated for the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and will be progressively reviewed and either updated, replaced or revoked. The page does not show a publication date for the code. It is on the WorkSafe New Zealand page. Two of its rules: drop starting a chainsaw is prohibited, each component of a friction or false-crotch system is rated to at least 22 kN. Its protective clothing section is covered in the chainsaw protection guide listed under related guides.

At a glance

Country	Main document	Published by
United States	General industry rules, 29 CFR 1910; ANSI Z133 (voluntary)	OSHA; ISA store for Z133
Canada	Provincial rules, such as Alberta Part 39 and BC Part 8	Provincial governments and regulators
United Kingdom	Work at Height Regulations 2005, LOLER, PUWER	HSE and legislation.gov.uk
Australia	Regulator alerts and Safe Work Australia guide	State regulators, Safe Work Australia
New Zealand	Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture	WorkSafe New Zealand

None of these documents carries over automatically when moving between countries.