Award-Winning Safety Stories in Tree Care

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series promoting National Safety Month.

Starting now, you can submit entries for TCIA's annual Safety Awards!

This program recognizes exemplary action in two areas. The Outstanding Individual/Crew Performance award recognizes an individual's or crew's heroic reaction to an emergency situation, and the Outstanding Company Contribution award recognizes a member's proactive program to address safety issues.

Here are a few winning entries from last year:

Company Award: SavATree

Award-Winning Safety Stories in Tree Care SavATree (pictured right) implemented general tree care training days twice per year in each of their offices. Field arborists and management pick three topics, create an agenda for a four hour session, assign session leaders who develop the learning objectives and organize teaching material, provide food and beverage and market the event within the offices involved to generate excitement. The goals of the training are first and foremost to reduce accidents, but also to improve staff morale and increase client satisfaction.

Individual/Crew Award: Chet Mercer, Bladamir Morales, and Julio Chonoo of Carolina Tree Care

On May 20th 2015, the crew of Chet Mercer, Bladamir Morales, and Julio Chonoo from Carolina Tree Care were removing a maple from a client’s yard. The client had climbed up on his roof to clean his gutters when somehow he fell from the roof, landing on his face. The crew summoned help, rendering aid and making the homeowner as comfortable as possible until help arrived. The man ended up with seven stitches in his face and a nose broken in two places, but was very appreciative of the crew’s help when he talked to the crew leader two days after the incident.

Apply for the 2017 Safety Awards

Do you have an outstanding safety story or program to share? Apply for the 2017 Safety Awards. Winners will be announced at TCIA’s annual Winter Management Conference.