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Last revised: March 08, 2007
Trail Maintenance and Construction Tasks, Their Hazards, and Recommended Safety Gear
Compiled by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
This chart was prepared by ATC using trail work job-hazard analyses by US. Forest Service district personnel, A.T.-club volunteers, ATC volunteer-crew leaders, and ATC management staff. The information provided in the chart represents a distillation of information about accidents that have occurred or that are likely to occur during different types of trail work.
The ATC skills-training and Trail-crew safety policy, adopted by the ATC Board of Managers in April 1993, emphasizes the importance of safety equipment and job-hazard analyses in preventing work-related accidents.
This chart is only a guide. Common sense and awareness are the best tools you can use on any task.
Basic safety equipment for all Trail work should include: sturdy boots, work gloves, long pants, and appropriate dress for the weather.
Maintain tools in good working condition; know your abilities and limits; and take breaks before you are tired.
Perhaps the most important part of any trail-maintenance or trail-construction project occurs during the first few minutes. This is when the project leader should call everyone together and take a few minutes to talk about safety and the proper use of tools. (a.k.a. a "tailgate" meeting)
Safety is a concern for everyone, not just "first-timers.' Some 'old-timers' tend to become complacent and forget about safety, too. Even if there are only a few people involved, it's good to remind ourselves that trail tools - especially swinging tools and cutting tools - can do a great deal of damage to the human body.
| Trail Maintenance and Construction Tasks, Their Hazards, and Recommended Safety Gear Compiled by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Basic safety equipment for
all Trail work: sturdy boots, work gloves, long pants, and appropriate dress for the
weather. |
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| Trail Tasks | Likely Job Hazards | Recommended Safety Gear | Additional Comments |
| balds-clearing | sharp tools, back and arm strain, dehydration, loud noise (if using power equipment), lightning, overexposure to sun, rain, or wind | gloves, boots, sun hat, sunscreen, goggles, weed eater harness, and hearing protection (if using power equipment) | Drink at least two quarts of water per day, keep proper spacing between workers, leave ridge crest during lightning storms. |
| brush-cutting | sharp tools, spring poles, loose footing, flying brush, poison ivy, bee stings, snakebites | gloves, boots, goggles, shin guards (optional) | Have soap & wash water available; know who is allergic to bee stings and poison ivy. |
| carpentry | sharp tools, splinters, flying nail chips or sawdust, smashed fingers or thumbs | gloves, goggles | |
| chainsaw use | severe, ragged cuts from the chainsaw, kickback, fire, back or muscle strains, falling trees or limbs, loud noise | gloves, boots, chainsaw chaps, hardhat, eye and hearing protection, wedges, extra chain | |
| crush and fill (gravel making) | rock shrapnel, splinters or broken tool handles, carpal-tunnel syndrome, working too close to other workers | gloves, boots, goggles, shin guards, hardhats, long pants and sleeves | Keep wrists rigid when swinging sledgehammer; keep proper spacing between workers. |
| log work (peeling, rolling, setting) | sharp tools, slippery logs, rolling logs, back or muscle strain | gloves, boots, shin guards (optional) | Keep back straight, lift with legs or mechanical advantage, work in unison. |
| power-mowing | loud noise, thrown debris | gloves, boots, goggles, hearing protection, long pants | Do not operate near other people; cool engine before fueling |
| rigging (winch work) | frayed cable, improper attachment of load or anchors, standing in the "bite", use of inadequate equipment (climbing hardware), overhead loads, cable hard to see | gloves, boots, hardhats | Station lookouts, inspect equipment frequently, protect trees from damage, avoid improper use of winch (do not be seduced by the power of the winch). |
| rock work | crushed extremities, slippery footing, back or muscle strain | gloves, boots (steel-toed optional), shin guards, hardhat | Keep back straight, lift with legs or mechanical advantage, work in unison. |
| sharpening | sharp tools, flying filings | gloves, goggles, file handle and knuckle guard | |
| sidehill-trail construction | back or muscle strain, carpal-tunnel syndrome, sharp tools, slippery footing, steep slopes, working too close to or walking by others | gloves (optional), boots, shin guards, goggles (optional) | Keep wrists rigid, place one foot in front of the other, and keep back straight when swinging or pulling digging tools. Keep proper spacing between workers. |
| tree-felling (non-motorized) | falling trees and limbs, hollow trees, bee stings | gloves, boots, hardhat, goggles, ropes or winches, wedges | Two-person crew, minimum (one as spotter). Know who is allergic to bee stings and poison ivy. |
