A scored jobsite safety audit of a tree crew at work: the job briefing and paperwork, PPE (helmet, eye and hearing protection, chainsaw protective legwear, gloves, high-visibility), climbing practices (tie-in, two points of attachment when cutting, gear inspected, lines kept separate), chainsaw handling, chipper feeding, aerial lift use, traffic control and the drop zone, electrical hazard awareness, housekeeping, first aid and fire, and crew competence, with findings, owners, due dates and sign-off.
Audit Details
Which crew, which job, and who audited it.
Audit title
Job or customer
Job address
Company
Audited by
Date of audit
Time on site
Crew leader
Crew members present
Work being done — Pruning, Removal in sections, Felling whole, Crane-assisted removal, Storm or emergency work, Line clearance, Cabling or bracing, Stump grinding, Chipping and cleanup only, Plant health care
Type of audit — Unannounced spot check, Announced visit, Crew leader self-audit, Follow-up of an earlier audit
Briefing and Paperwork
Whether the crew planned the job and has what it needs on hand.
Was a job briefing held today and signed by the whole crew?
Does the briefing match what is on site: lines, targets, traffic and weather?
Does the crew know the job address and the nearest emergency room?
Are the permits this job needs on hand?
Are today's pre-use checks recorded for saws, chipper and lift?
Are safety data sheets on hand for fuels, oils and any chemicals carried?
Personal Protective Equipment
What each person is wearing, and its condition.
Is everyone wearing a helmet, with climbers' chin straps fastened?
Is eye protection worn wherever chips, dust or twigs can reach the eyes?
Is hearing protection worn around saws, the chipper and grinder?
Is chainsaw protective legwear worn by everyone running a saw on the ground?
Are gloves suited to the task being worn?
Is high-visibility clothing worn by everyone exposed to traffic?
Is footwear suited to the ground and the work?
Is everyone's protective gear free of damage and heavy wear?
Photos
Climbing
How climbers get up, stay attached and work aloft.
Was anyone climbing during the audit?
Was the tree looked over for defects before anyone climbed it?
Has the climber inspected their life-support gear today?
Is the climbing gear you saw in good condition?
Is the climber tied in at all times while aloft?
Does the climber use two points of attachment when cutting with a saw aloft?
Is the climbing line anchored on sound wood, clear of the cuts?
Are life-support lines kept apart from rigging and lowering lines?
Are connectors self-locking and closed?
Is the saw secured on a lanyard or in a holder when aloft?
Is someone on the ground watching the climber and ready to help?
Photos
Chainsaw Handling
How saws are started, carried, fueled and used on the ground.
Are the saws in working order?
Are saws started with the chain brake on and the saw braced, never drop-started?
Do operators keep both hands on the saw while cutting on the ground?
Is the chain brake set or the engine stopped when walking with a saw?
Are saws refueled with the engine off and carried clear of the fuel before restarting?
Are others kept clear of the operator and the wood being cut?
Do operators have firm footing and a clear way out?
Chipper
How brush is fed and how the machine is set up.
Was the chipper running during the audit?
Do operators feed from the side and turn away once the brush is taken?
Does everyone keep hands and feet out of the infeed, pushing short pieces with the next branch?
Was the feed control bar or emergency stop tested today, and does it work?
Are feeders free of loose clothing, long cuffs and dangling straps?
Is brush checked for wire, metal, stones and vines before it goes in?
Is the discharge chute aimed into the truck and latched?
Is the chipper chocked and hitched, or otherwise stable?
Is someone with the chipper whenever it is running?
Aerial Lift
Bucket trucks and other aerial devices in use on the job.
Was an aerial lift in use during the audit?
Was the lift's daily pre-use check done?
Is the operator trained on this lift?
Is the operator wearing a harness with a lanyard to the bucket's anchor point?
Are outriggers set on pads on firm ground?
Does someone on the ground know how to use the lower controls?
Where work is near lines, is the lift insulated and its dielectric test in date?
Is the lift kept within its rated load and never used to lower wood?
Traffic, Rigging and Drop Zone
Keeping the public, the ground crew and passing traffic out from under falling wood.
Is traffic control set up as the road needs?
Are customers and the public kept out of the work area?
Is the drop zone marked and kept clear?
Do ground workers enter the drop zone only after a call and answer with the climber?
Is the rigging and lowering gear sized for the loads and in good condition?
Photos
Electrical Hazards
Whether the crew knows where the lines are and keeps away from them.
Were the lines near the work identified at the briefing?
Does the crew keep the minimum approach distance its qualification allows?
Is work inside that distance done only by line-clearance qualified workers?
Does the crew treat every line as energized?
Are non-conductive tools and ladders used near lines?
Housekeeping, First Aid and Fire
The state of the site and what is on hand if something goes wrong.
Is the site kept tidy: brush piled, ropes coiled, tools stowed?
Is fuel kept in approved containers, away from heat and sparks?
Is a stocked first aid kit with bleeding control on site?
Is someone on site trained in first aid and CPR?
Does the truck carry a fire extinguisher that is full and has a current tag?
Do drinking water, shade and breaks suit the conditions?
Photos
Crew Competence
Whether the people doing each job are trained, supervised and fit for it.
Is each crew member trained for the tasks they were doing?
Are trainees working under direct supervision?
Can the rescue-trained person explain how they would get the climber down?
Does the crew appear fit for work: alert, not impaired, not overtired?
Do crew members say they would stop the job if something felt unsafe?
Findings and Sign-Off
What needs fixing, who owns it, and what the crew did well.
Findings and actions
What was found
Crew member, machine or spot
Urgency — Stopped the work until fixed, Fix before the next job, Fix this week, Coaching point
Put right on the spot?
Person responsible
Due date
Photo
What the crew did well
Follow-up audit due
Auditor — signature
Crew leader — signature
Arboriculture
Tree Care Safety Audit
A scored jobsite safety audit of a tree crew at work: the job briefing and paperwork, PPE (helmet, eye and hearing protection, chainsaw protective legwear, gloves, high-visibility), climbing practices (tie-in, two points of attachment when cutting, gear inspected, lines kept separate), chainsaw handling, chipper feeding, aerial lift use, traffic control and the drop zone, electrical hazard awareness, housekeeping, first aid and fire, and crew competence, with findings, owners, due dates and sign-off.
✓Free — no account, no trial, no card.
Fill this in and download the finished PDF. Your answers stay on this device as you type. We ask for an email address once, at the download.
→
This audit checks a crew while it works. The briefing the crew holds at the truck before starting has its own form: Tree crew job briefing
0 of 64 answered0%
A tree care safety audit is a supervisor, safety lead or client representative turning up at a job and watching the crew work: whether the briefing happened, whether everyone is wearing what they should, how the climber is tied in, how the chipper is fed, where the ground crew stands when wood is coming down, and whether anyone has thought about the lines over the street. This template walks through those checks in the order you would see them on site, scores them, and turns every gap into a finding with an owner and a date. Fill it in here and download a PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
Why audit crews in the field
Policies and training records say what a crew should do. A field audit shows what it actually does at 2 p.m. on a hot day, three trees into the job. Most tree care fatalities involve electrical contact, being struck by a falling tree or limb, or a fall from height, and each of those has a practice an observer can see: the approach distance being kept, the drop zone being respected, the climber tied in with a second point of attachment before cutting.
The audit is also a chance to recognize good work. A section for what the crew did well belongs on the record as much as the findings do.
What the audit covers
It starts with the briefing and paperwork, then PPE for everyone on site. Climbing, chipper and aerial lift checks open only when that work is underway, so a ground-only job is not marked down for them. Chainsaw handling, traffic and the drop zone, electrical hazards, housekeeping, first aid and fire, and the crew's training and fitness for work apply on every job.
ANSI Z133 is the US safety standard for arboricultural operations, and OSHA rules apply to many parts of tree work. This form records what the auditor saw; it does not certify that a crew or a company complies with either.
Scoring and findings
Every check is answered Yes, No or N/A. The score is the share of applicable checks answered Yes. Each No becomes a finding, and most carry a safety severity, because one missed tie-in or one ground worker standing in the drop zone matters more than the percentage. Add any further findings, decide whether the work stopped until they were fixed, and give each an owner and a due date.
Talking to the crew
Ask questions as you go. Can the rescue-trained person explain how they would get the climber down? Does the ground crew know the call before a limb is cut? Would they stop the job if something felt wrong? The answers say more about a crew's safety than the condition of its gear.
Common questions
How often should tree crews be audited?
Many companies aim for each crew to be audited monthly, with more frequent visits for new crews, new crew leaders and high-risk work such as removals near lines, crane jobs and storm response. Utility and municipal contracts often set their own frequency.
Should the audit be announced?
Both have value. Unannounced audits show everyday practice; announced ones are better for coaching. The form records which it was so trends can be read fairly.
What should the auditor do if they see a serious hazard?
Stop the work, have it put right, and record it as a finding marked as stopping the work. A climber not tied in, someone inside the minimum approach distance without qualification, or a ground worker in the drop zone are all reasons to stop the job at once.
Does a good score mean the crew is safe?
No. The score shows how many observed practices were in place. A single failure on electrical distance, tie-in or the drop zone is a safety finding whatever the score; read the findings list first.
Can the crew leader use this as a self-check?
Yes, though an outside observer catches more. Many companies have crew leaders self-audit weekly and a supervisor or safety lead audit monthly, using the same form so results can be compared.