Abstract

Originating from a request from the City of Montréal and its union and supported by the International Society of Arboriculture, Québec chapter (SIAQ), this study evaluated the methods and equipment for access to heights used by pruners to reduce the risk of falls. For this, the researchers measured the effectiveness and reliability factors by means of mechanical tests in the laboratory. Several new types of equipment and systems were tested according to industrial fall protection standards. The levels of efforts produced, and the mobility and overall safety levels of the tested systems were estimated in a controlled environment in urban parks and woods. The different tree-access systems were examined so that they could be ranked in order of relevance for a given situation. A harness adapted to pruners’ work was proposed and evaluated. It is now being regularly used.