Selecting A Contractor

As with any industry, there are many people who falsely claim to be qualified to carry out tree work. These people not only pose a serious danger to you and your property but also to themselves. Many who enlist the services of these people are unaware that they themselves have a duty of care over anyone working on their property and may find themselves partially responsible should any accidents occur. This however is easily avoided by employing bona fide contractors to carry out any work.

When enlisting the services of a tree surgeon, it is important to know that you are employing a qualified and trustworthy contractor. At the very least you need to ensure that the company you are employing holds current public liability insurance and has the relevant certificates of competency to operate the machinery required to complete the job. These can easily be evidenced by the provision of paperwork and licence cards, and as a customer you should not be afraid to ask to see them.

All genuine contractors should carry out work to BS3998:2010, which is the British Standard for tree work and safeguards the correct pruning methods and operations intrinsic to both the health of the tree and safety of the operator. A landline telephone number, along with a postal address should also be available on request. The majority of bona fide contractors operate on a request basis only. This means that they provide a service in response to a client’s enquiry and very rarely offer their services by means of a door to door approach. If you do get approached by someone offering a service in this manner then proceed with caution, as in many cases these contractors do not hold the relevant qualifications and insurances. Written quotations would automatically be provided by any contractor on request.