History...

The Tree Contractors Association was formed in late 1993 in response to demands from Workcover to improve the safety and training standards of the tree industry. A number of major contractors in the industry met and decided to form a new association as it was felt there was no association suitable , to represent our industry , existant .

In the past, the emphasis of other industry associations has been to concentrate on the purist elements of tree maintenance, ie tree surgery . This has left the bulk of the industry emloyees and contractors isolated because the vast majority of tree work cannot be described as 'tree surgery '. Work such as power line clearance , complete tree removal , and the removal of sections or limbs of trees which overhang buildings , make up the majority of tree work.

The initial thrust of the association has been to develop training programmes for employees in areas such as the manual handling , use and operation of tree chipper, stump grinders, Elevated Working Platforms, chainsaws , and the arts of groundsmen, tree climbers , tree maintainers, and First Aid and Occupational Health and Safety Officers . We have also developed a system for recording training information and will be able to offer training to other groups such as local goverment in the near future.

We also offer the security that all of our members have a proven work history - a number have been in the industry for more than 20 years, and most more than 10 years .

Our insurance for public liability and workers compensation is vetted by an independant insurance officer who ensures full
declaration of wages and that workers are classified in the current and correct classification for Workers Compensation , this is an area which is difficult to police but is a major area of avoidance in the industry . Checks are regularly made to ensure compliance with categories for Special Risks , for example - the use of cranes , stump grinders and Elevated Working Platforms .

We endeavour to ensure that the emphasis on the training of our employees will lead to a more stable , reliable and responsible workforce and that the employees so trained shall not be replaced by untrained and / or casual employees . By insisting on these principles we hope to ensure that our Contractors and employees will not be displaced by those Contractors who , by employing untrained staff and by paying cash-in-hand , are able to offer significantly reduced rates to procure their business .