For Forestry employers and workers, this guide explains why every height job needs a rescue plan for suspension trauma, and how a Working at Heights Course ties it to your day-to-day Forestry work.
Rescue Planning in Forestry
An arborist sectioning a storm-damaged tree in a Wicklow plantation, relying entirely on climbing systems and a rescue-ready colleague. When it comes to why every height job needs a rescue plan for suspension trauma, Forestry teams have to control hazards such as falls from height in remote terrain, lone or small-team working and tree climbing and aerial cutting. Aerial tree work is specialist height work needing dedicated arborist training and rescue capability.
The Forestry action list
- Record a risk assessment for each Forestry task at height
- Choose collective protection before personal protection
- Certify the team with a Working at Heights Course
- Inspect equipment and keep the logs
- Plan rescue before work begins
The Working at Heights Course makes compliance simple
Here is the good news: getting compliant is fast and inexpensive. Our Working at Heights Course is delivered fully online, takes about 45 minutes, and issues a downloadable certificate the same day. It is CPD certified, RoSPA approved and QQI aligned, and it is written specifically for Forestry teams across Ireland.
The Working at Heights Training covers the avoid-prevent-minimise hierarchy, ladder and stepladder safety, MEWPs and scaffolds, harnesses and anchor points, and how to carry out a proper risk assessment. Every learner finishes with a recognised Working at Heights Certificate that stands up to HSA inspection and supports your insurance position.
Training that goes beyond the tick-box
Competence is not the same as experience. A worker who has used ladders for twenty years can still carry twenty years of bad habits. Refresher training matters for Rescue Planning in Forestry precisely because confidence drifts away from the rules over time, and a quick refresher resets it.
Weather turns a routine job into a dangerous one faster than anything else in Ireland. Wind, rain, frost and poor light all raise the risk of Rescue Planning in Forestry, and the right call is often to stop and reassess rather than push on. Knowing where that line sits is part of being properly trained.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need a rescue plan for working at height?
A suspended worker can suffer suspension trauma within minutes, so rescue must be planned and resourced before the work starts.
How does this affect Forestry specifically?
In Forestry, the same rules apply with sector-specific hazards. Our Working at Heights Training covers both.
Is online training enough for Forestry?
Yes for the core legal and safe-system knowledge; add equipment-specific tickets where the Forestry task requires them.
More on staying safe at height
Insurers now ask directly whether your team holds current Working at Heights certification before they price a policy or settle a claim involving forestry work at height. A worker hurt at height with no Working at Heights Certificate turns a defensible incident into an indefensible one, and that follows your premium for years.
Documentation is what turns good practice into proven compliance for forestry work at height. Keep your risk assessment, your method statement, your equipment inspection logs and your training records together, and an HSA visit becomes a short, calm conversation rather than a drawn-out investigation.
Get certified today
Do not wait for an HSA inspection or a near miss to act. Forestry employers and workers can complete the Working at Heights Course online in 45 minutes and download a certificate the same day. For 10 or more learners, see our team training rates, or contact our team for a tailored quote.
Start the online Working at Heights Training now and put a recognised certificate in every worker's file before the next job at height begins.
