This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to access trees for inspection. It does not describe the skills and knowledge required to access trees to conduct arboricultural work, tree pruning or removal.

The unit applies to individuals who work under broad direction and take responsibility for their own work. They use discretion and judgement in the selection, allocation and use of available resources and for solving problems.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit.

There must be evidence that the individual has used climbing techniques to access at least 2 structurally different trees, including:

confirmed access to site and scope of works

identified workplace health, safety and environmental hazards and completed a job safety analysis (JSA) or safe work method statement (SWMS) for the site and activities

confirmed availability of first aid and rescue personnel, equipment and procedures

conducted pre-operational safety checks, on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment

selected and used personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety equipment during works

inspected tree and discussed with work team to determine a safe and efficient access route

selected and prepared climbing equipment for accessing tree

ascended, navigated though and descended tree canopy using harness and lanyard and safe anchor points, following safe climbing techniques, including:

moving rope with prusik technique

trunk walking technique

use of foot ascenders

tied, dressed, set and finished the following climbing knots and hitches, including:

alpine butterfly

blake's hitch

scaffold knot

double fisherman's bend/prusik loop

girth hitch

English prusik hitch

marlinspike hitch

munter hitch

clove hitch

double-overhand stopper knot

bowline

running bowline

communicated with work team during operations using agreed communication procedures

maintained safe clearances from power lines

removed all access equipment in a controlled manner on descend from tree

inspected, cleaned, maintained and stored climbing and personal protective equipment according to manufacturer instructions.

An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

assessing and selecting different methods for climbing trees

workplace health, safety, site, environmental and traffic control measures, including:

completing JSAs and SWMS for site-specific risks

purpose of first aid and rescue personnel, equipment and procedures

pre-operational and safety checks, on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment

PPE used when climbing

inspection, use and maintenance of arborist climbing equipment, including:

ropes and their characteristics

rope type, construction and materials

rope inspection and failure conditions

uses of climbing ropes

triple-locking carabiners

climbing hardware

purpose, function, selection, tying, dressing, setting, checking and finishing of arborist knots used for climbing techniques

safety when climbing trees, including:

safe working limits of ropes and equipment

defects in ropes, tools and equipment

climbing harnesses and lanyards

hazards to avoid when climbing within the tree canopy, including:

safe distances from electrical power lines

tree structural defects

the presence of insects or other animals

deciding on low-risk access routes

environmental impacts of tree access methods, including:

potential impact on tree of various climbing methods

impact on animal habitat or food source

communications strategies used when climbing with a work team, including:

voice

hand

electronic communications

climbing techniques using ropes and harnesses, including:

moving rope with prusik technique

trunk walking

foot ascenders

safe transitions between points of attachment

low-risk anchor points

controlled descent operations

controlled removal of access equipment

procedures for inspecting, cleaning, maintaining and storing climbing equipment.

Assessment of the skills in this unit of competency must take place under the following conditions:

physical conditions:

two trees with different canopy structures as stipulated in the performance evidence

resources, equipment and materials:

standard climbing kit

harness

arborist communications equipment

personal protective equipment

first aid and emergency response equipment

specifications:

workplace and manufacturer instructions for safe operation, cleaning and storage of the equipment specified in the assessment conditions

relationships:

work team.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards. In particular, assessors must have:

arboriculture vocational competencies at least to the level being assessed

current arboriculture industry skills directly relevant to the unit of competency being assessed.

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential for performance in this unit of competency but are not explicit in the performance criteria.

Arboriculture (ARB)