Arbor safety class draws hundreds

Fonokalafi Misi said the coconut tree belonged to a regular customer in Kailua.

So when his father, Fifita, climbed the 33-foot-tall tree on Sept. 22, no one anticipated it would break and snap off, falling on him and causing fatal injuries.

"The whole thing landed on him," said Fonokalafi Misi, 37. "It was a big surprise."

State labor officials and the Aloha Arborist Association are conducting a series of arbor safety workshops statewide after the deaths of Fifita Misi and two other tree trimmers in Hawaii in 2011.

Attendance at Wednesday’s workshop at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Park was the largest ever for an Aloha Arborist workshop, with more than 210 people registered, association official Carol Kwan said. Three more workshops are scheduled on Hawaii island, Maui and Kauai.

Kwan said based on recent occupation studies in Hawaii, working as a tree trimmer is more dangerous than being a firefighter or police officer.

The state Department of Health said there were 28 tree-related deaths in the state from 1991 through 2010. Of those, six involved people trimming or cutting a tree, 11 people fell from a tree, 10 were fatally struck by a falling tree or branches, and one person was electrocuted. Records do not indicate how many of those incidents involved professional arborists.

In addition, the Queen’s Medical Center trauma registry shows that 176 people were admitted for nonfatal injuries between 2001-2010 caused by falls from trees or being hit by falling trees or branches, said Dan Galanis, an epidemiologist with the state Department of Health.

In Misi’s case, there were three trees of similar size and appearance at the Kailua property, but the one that fell had rotted from within, Fonokalafi Misi said.

Misi said the only obvious sign was decay on the sides of the tree.

Kwan said the workshops are designed to show people involved in the arborist industry how to assess the strength of the roots of the tree.

"That’s one of the standard procedures. They’re supposed to make a safety inspection to make sure the tree is safe to climb," Kwan said. "You don’t want to be putting your life on the line."

Another aspect discussed at the workshop was workers’ equipment.

In two recent deaths, the tree trimmer’s harness broke. Safety experts recommend that instead of trying to fix a harness, a tree trimmer should replace it with a new one.

"Throw it away and don’t use it," said Sergio Vasquez, owner of Tropical Tree Services Inc. "Don’t compromise your safety."

Arborists said workers sometimes toss the harnesses in the back of a pickup truck, allowing rain and sun to weaken them, rather than store them in a dry, cool space.

"The problem is they don’t understand the limits of their equipment," said Mark Leon, president of Sunshine Landscape Co. Inc.

Leon, who is helping to conduct the workshops, said tree trimmers need to know the life of their equipment and when to replace it.

Manufacturers usually recommend when to replace the harnesses.

Leon said workers involved in climbing should replace their rope every two years, even if it hasn’t been damaged.

Misi said although he’s keeping his tree-trimming license active, he’s been working as a crane operator.

"I don’t want to end up like my father," he said.