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GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

R26.11-1 RE: Forestry Operations - General Requirements - Dangerous Trees (Removal Prior to Silviculture Activities)

WATER OPERATIONS

R26.86-1 RE: Forestry Operations - Water Operations - Boat Equipment (Towline Guards and OPS for Boom Boats)

Policies Part 26 - General Requirements

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R26.11-1
General Requirements - Dangerous Trees (Removal Prior to Silviculture Activities)

BACKGROUND
1. Explanatory Notes
Section 26.11 sets out the requirements for removal of dangerous trees where forestry operations are taking place.

2. The OHSR
Section 26.1:

"dangerous tree" means a tree that is a hazard to a worker due to

(a) its location or lean,

(b) its physical damage,

(c) overhead conditions,

(d) deterioration of its limbs, stem or root system, or

(e) any combination of the conditions in paragraphs (a) to (d);

Section 26.11:

(1) If it is known or reasonably foreseeable that work will expose a worker to a dangerous tree,

(a) the tree must be felled, or

(b) a risk assessment of the tree must be undertaken by a person who has completed a training program acceptable to the Board.

(2) If a risk assessment under subsection (1) determines that a tree poses a risk to a worker, the recommendations made in the risk assessment for eliminating or minimizing the risk must be implemented before the work referred to in that subsection starts.

(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), if work in a forestry operation is to be carried out in an area that has more than 500 dangerous trees per hectare, the Board may approve a request to work without felling or assessing all the dangerous trees if, before the work starts,

(a) a person who has completed a training program acceptable to the Board conducts a risk assessment of a representative sample of the dangerous trees, and

(b) any recommendations made in the risk assessment for eliminating or minimizing the risks are implemented.

POLICY
Silviculture activities include tree planting, juvenile spacing, tree thinning, surveys, cone collecting, brush or weed control and chemical use in tree thinning practices.

Except where section 26.11 applies, the responsibility for ensuring that dangerous trees are removed rests with the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee or contractor responsible for the work. The felling of dangerous trees is not to be carried out in conjunction with silviculture activities. Dangerous tree removal must be undertaken before silviculture workers are permitted into the hazard area. It is also the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee or contractor's responsibility to ensure all falling activities are carried out by trained and competent fallers. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in orders being issued on the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee, or contractor.

This policy does not relieve any sub-contractor of responsibility for compliance with the OHSR.

Policies Part 26 - Water Operations

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R26.86-1
Water Operations - Boat Equipment (Towline Guards and OPS for Boom Boats)

BACKGROUND

1. Explanatory Notes
Section 26.86(1)(c) and (d) sets out requirements for suitable cabins, screens or guards in certain circumstances for operators of boats used in or about a forestry operation.

2. The OHSR
Section 26.86(1), in part:

A boat must be equipped with

…

(c) suitable cabins, screens or guards to protect operators against injury from towline breakage if the boats are regularly required to pull logs, booms or barges,

(d) suitable cabins, screens or guards meeting the requirements of WCB Standard G606, Boom Boat Operator Protective Structures if operators are subject to injury from logs or limbs intruding into the control area,

…

POLICY
Towline guards are only required on boats used primarily for towing.

Operator Protective Structures (OPS) are only required on boats used to break "jackpots". Jackpots are piles of logs resulting from self-dumping barges.