This is good news. If all of OSHA's field personnel adopt this proactive attitude, it will go a long way toward lowering accident rates in the industry. Because the enforcement of inappropriate standards on any industry can create so much confusion that individuals who must comply with government regulations begin to feel that the government's rules are only so much hooey. Certainly not somebody in a suit and tie down in Washington. Although we at NAA do not necessarily agree with this perception, we are sympathetic to those members who call to express this point of view.
Appropriate standards increase safety.
They do not cause confusion. OSHA does not have the resources to thoroughly train every compliance officer in the particulars of tree care, so when something looks unsafe, they turn to the nearest available code that looks reasonable. Now that OSHA understands that there are some fundamental differences between logging safety and tree care safety, NAA will meet with federal OSHA officials to further educate them about safety in tree care operations. Our goal is to provide regulatory relief for the industry by developing a safety partner in OSHA, rather than maintaining an adversary. The retraction of the logging standard was step one.