Safe Use of Wood Chippers

Who is the course for?

Anyone employed in arboriculture, forestry, horticulture, landscaping and grounds maintenance who is required to operate Wood chippers.

Objectives:

To enable course members to:

• Produce a site specific Risk Assessment for wood chipping operations
• State the principles of HSE Legislation and safety guidelines for using a wood chipper
• Select the appropriate PPE and state the maintenance requirements
• Carry out operator checks & maintenance and identify the safety features of a wood chipper
• Inspect and identify defects on blades
• Prepare machine prior to operation, start the machine, carry out safety checks and stop machine
• Prepare work area, a range of material for chipping and identify hazardous materials not to be chipper
• Use approved techniques to chip woody brash and both short and long sections of timber, safely and effectively
• State the procedure for removing blockages
• State the safety and environmental factors associated with the disposal of woodchips and the various end-uses of wood chips
• Prepare machine for transport and storage

NB: The use of the manufacture’s instruction book is stressed at all times to ensure the maintenance and adjustments are carried out to manufacturer’s recommendations.

Course Details:

An Integrated training and assessment (ITA) only.

Duration: 1 day per machine. Maximum of 4 trainees per course.

1 day refresher for experienced operators who already hold a Lantra qualification or who can verify they have had minimum of 2 years’ experience. Maximum of 6 trainees per course.

Certification gained: Lantra Certificate of Competence, valid for 5 years.