Site paperwork for tree work: risk assessments, method statements and equipment records

This page describes written records: assessments, plans, briefings, statements and equipment logs. It does not tell anyone how to carry out the work, and it is not legal advice. Whether a rule applies to a particular crew depends on size, work type and place, so the regulator named under each country has the last word. For what each country's safety rules cover more broadly, see the safety rules guide; this page stays on the paper side.

United States

On its tree care standards page, OSHA says the tree care industry must comply with the general industry standards in 29 CFR 1910. A few of those rules say a written record must exist. Others say nothing about writing.

PPE hazard assessment

The personal protective equipment rule, 29 CFR 1910.132(d), says the employer must assess the workplace to decide whether hazards are present, or likely to be present, that call for PPE. It then says the employer must verify that the assessment was done through a written certification. The certification must identify the workplace evaluated, the person certifying that the evaluation was done, and the date of the hazard assessment. The text is on the OSHA page for 1910.132.

Chemicals and safety data sheets

The hazard communication rule, 29 CFR 1910.1200, says employers must develop, implement and maintain at each workplace a written hazard communication program. It also says the employer must keep a copy of the safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical in the workplace and make sure the sheets are readily accessible to employees during each work shift. See the OSHA page for 1910.1200.

Respirators

Where respirators are required, 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1) says the employer must establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The rule says "where respirators are required", so it does not say every tree crew needs a program. Read the OSHA page for 1910.134.

Job briefing for line-clearance work

29 CFR 1910.269 covers electric power work, including line-clearance tree trimming. Paragraph (a)(1)(i)(E) lists the paragraphs that apply to line-clearance tree trimmers who are not qualified employees: (a)(2), (a)(3), (b), (c), (g), (k), (p) and (r). Paragraph (c) is the job briefing. It says the briefing covers at least these subjects.

Hazards associated with the job.
Work procedures involved.
Special precautions.
Energy-source controls.
Personal protective equipment requirements.

If the work during the day or shift is repetitive and similar, at least one briefing is held before the first job of each day or shift. An employee working alone does not need to hold a briefing, but the rule says the employer must make sure the tasks are planned as if one were required. The text of (c) does not say the briefing has to be written down. See the OSHA page for 1910.269.

ANSI Z133 is a voluntary standard, and the safety rules guide covers it.

Canada

Each province and territory writes its own rules, so the examples below are examples only.

Province	Written record	Who it applies to
Alberta	Hazard assessment report, dated	Every employer, before work begins at a work site
British Columbia	Written fall protection plan	Work where a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur and workers lack permanent guardrails
British Columbia	Record of monthly meetings	Smaller operations below the formal program size
Ontario	Written health and safety policy	Workplaces with more than 5 workers regularly employed, as the government guide states
Quebec	Register of minor accidents	Employers, for accidents that do not stop work after the day of injury

Alberta

Part 2 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code says an employer must assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins. It says the employer must prepare a report of the results and the methods used to control or eliminate the hazards, and make sure the date the assessment is prepared or revised is recorded on it. The assessment is repeated at reasonably practicable intervals, when a new work process is introduced, when a process or operation changes, and before significant additions or alterations to a work site. Affected workers are involved in the assessment. Read Part 2 on the Alberta government site.

Part 39, tree care operations, applies to arboriculture work when a worker works at height and depends on the tree for support. Section 793 says the employer must develop and use safe work practices and procedures that include hazard assessment, worker training, equipment and PPE, work positioning and fall protection systems, and emergency rescue. The text does not use the word "written" in that section, so the Part 2 report is the written record the code names. See Part 39 on the Alberta government site.

British Columbia

The WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation has several written items. Section 11.3 says the employer must have a written fall protection plan for a workplace if work is done where workers are not protected by permanent guardrails and a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur. The plan must be available at the workplace before work with a risk of falling begins. See Part 11 of the regulation.

Part 3 sets the program size. An occupational health and safety program is required for an employer with a workforce of 50 or more workers, and for an employer with 20 or more workers and at least one workplace rated moderate or high hazard. Smaller operations keep a less formal program based on regular monthly meetings and must keep a record of the meetings and the matters discussed. Section 3.16 says the employer prepares a written first aid assessment covering the number and location of workers, the risks and hazards, the injuries likely to occur, barriers to first aid and transport time to treatment. It is reviewed within 12 months and when a significant change occurs. See Part 3 of the regulation.

Ontario

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, clause 25(2)(j), says an employer must prepare and review at least annually a written occupational health and safety policy and develop and maintain a program to implement it. The act text gives no worker count. The Ministry's guide to the act says the written policy applies where more than 5 workers are regularly employed. See the act and the Ministry guide.

Quebec

The CNESST page on first aid says an employer must make sure that work accidents that do not stop a worker from working after the day of injury are recorded in a register. The first aider fills it in, and the register is signed by the first aider and the injured worker. See the CNESST register page.

United Kingdom

In Great Britain, tree work falls under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its pages stress that paperwork is not the point: on its risk-management page it says not to rely purely on paperwork, because the main priority is to control the risks in practice.

Risk assessment

Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says every employer must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to employees at work. Relevant self-employed people must assess too. Regulation 3(6) says an employer with five or more employees must record the significant findings and any group of employees identified as especially at risk. The assessment is reviewed if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or if there has been a significant change. HSE's page repeats that those who employ 5 or more people must record significant findings. See regulation 3 and the HSE risk steps page.

COSHH

HSE's COSHH questions page says all employers must carry out a risk assessment, and those employing five or more must also record significant findings. It says a substance counts as hazardous to health if it is hazardous in the form in which it occurs in the work activity, which is how it treats dusts made by the work itself. The assessment is reviewed on a regular basis. See the HSE COSHH page.

Lifting equipment reports

HSE's tree work page treats climbing and rigging kit as lifting equipment under LOLER and says it needs thorough examination by a competent person. Regulation 10 says a thorough examination must be reported in writing, authenticated by signature or equally secure means, with the information in Schedule 1. Schedule 1 lists, among other items:

The name and address of the employer and the address of the premises.
Particulars that identify the equipment, and the date of the last thorough examination.
The safe working load.
Any part found with a defect that is or could become a danger, and any repair, renewal or alteration needed.
The latest date by which the next thorough examination must be carried out.
The date of the examination, and the name, address and qualifications of the person who made the report.

Regulation 10(2) also says inspections, which are not thorough examinations, are recorded in writing. Regulation 11 sets how long the information is kept available. For a thorough examination before first use, that is until the employer stops using the equipment, or two years after the report for an accessory for lifting. For periodic thorough examinations it is until the next report is made or two years, whichever is later. Records of inspections are kept until the next one is made. HSE's overview adds that defects found must be reported to the person responsible for the equipment and to the enforcing authority. See regulation 10, Schedule 1, regulation 11 and the HSE LOLER overview.

Other work equipment

For equipment inspected under PUWER regulation 6, the result of an inspection is recorded and kept until the next inspection. HSE's inspection page says records do not have to be made in writing, and that records are not normally required for the simplest pre-use checks. It adds that equipment subject to harsh outdoor conditions is likely to need more frequent inspections than indoor equipment. On tree work, HSE says a written weekly record of inspection should be kept for items with high wear, such as ropes. See the HSE inspection page and the HSE tree work page.

First aid

HSE's first aid page says an employer does not need to record the findings of a first aid needs assessment, though it may be useful to. It says an employer with more than 10 employees must keep an accident book under social security law, and that where no first-aider is needed the employer must appoint a person to take charge of first aid arrangements. See the HSE first aid page.

Australia

Most states and territories run the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws, with the regulator in each state. The wording below is from the Commonwealth regulation, which follows the model; states adopt it with their own changes, so the state regulator's text is the one that applies.

Safe work method statements

Chapter 6 of the WHS Regulation covers construction work. It defines construction work as work carried out in connection with the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, decommissioning or dismantling of a structure. High risk construction work is construction work that, among other things, involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres. Before high risk construction work starts, the person conducting the business or undertaking must make sure a safe work method statement is prepared, or has already been prepared by another person.

The statement must identify the high risk work, specify the hazards and risks, describe the control measures, and describe how they are to be implemented, monitored and reviewed. If the work is not carried out in line with the statement, the regulation says it must be stopped immediately or as soon as safe to do so, and resumed only in line with the statement. The regulation defines construction work by reference to a structure, so whether a given tree job counts as construction work is a question for the state regulator. See the Commonwealth regulation text.

The NSW tree works code

The NSW Tree works code of practice commenced on 27 March 2026 and replaces the 1998 Amenity Tree Industry code. On paperwork it says:

Where workers work at heights, for example tree climbing or EWP work, a business must make sure a rescue plan is in place. The plan should include how to reach the climber, contact details for emergency services and, where electric lines are present, the electricity operator's emergency number.
Emergency plans should make sure tree workers do not work alone.
Plant should be inspected and serviced regularly and checked daily before and after use. Logbooks and inspection check sheets should be kept, along with records of usage, inspections, maintenance and alterations.
If a hazard is identified near overhead electric lines, the business must conduct a risk assessment.

The code is on the SafeWork NSW site as a PDF.

New Zealand

New Zealand work health and safety law is the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. The WorkSafe New Zealand page for arboriculture hosts the Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture. WorkSafe says on that page that the guidance has not been updated to reflect the 2015 Act and its regulations, though it may still contain relevant information. Three lines in it bear on paperwork and planning:

Tree work requiring an arborist to ascend above three metres needs a second person on site trained in aerial rescue, with rescue equipment and procedures in place.
One way to make sure hazards are identified is to complete a task analysis before the work and include site-specific hazards.
Competency outcomes are documented, including any national qualifications supporting competency.

Read it on the WorkSafe New Zealand page. Notifying WorkSafe about serious events, and the records kept for it, is covered in the injury reporting guide.

At a glance

Country	Written items named above	Size or trigger
United States	PPE certification, hazard communication program, respirator program	Where the rule applies to the work
Canada	Hazard report, fall plan, policy, meeting or accident records	Varies by province
United Kingdom	Risk assessment findings, examination reports, inspection records	Five or more employees for assessment findings
Australia	Safe work method statement, rescue plan, plant logbooks	High risk construction work for the statement
New Zealand	Task analysis, documented competency	Code guidance

A regulator's page, not this one, says what a given business must keep.