Tree surgery combines work at height with cutting equipment, falling material and a natural structure whose condition must be assessed. Tree-climbing, MEWP and ground operations each need a suitable method of work, competent people and emergency arrangements.
Tree surgery at height: a high-risk arboricultural hazard
Agriculture, forestry and fishing had Great Britain’s highest fatal-injury rate in 2025/26: 8.09 per 100,000 workers. Its 22 deaths cover a broad industry group, not tree surgery alone; arboricultural work can also be classified in other industries.
For height-fall context across all industries, see our Falls from Height Statistics UK guide.
Reviewed 15 October 2026. HSE fatal figures are Great Britain, 2025/26 provisional. IPAF reports cover worldwide powered access in calendar 2025. Broad sector or equipment totals are not UK tree-surgeon accident counts.
Key facts & figures
- 22 worker deaths across agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain, 2025/26 provisional; not a tree-surgery-only count.
- 8.09 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers in that broad sector in 2025/26.
- 31 fatal height falls across all Great Britain industries in 2025/26, provisional.
- 170 worldwide fatal or major powered-access incident reports in IPAF’s 2025 dataset.
- 20 fatalities associated with worldwide powered-access electrical incidents in that dataset.
These figures demonstrate wider hazards rather than the risk rate for an individual arborist. The available headline releases do not provide a current, comprehensive UK tree-surgery accident total.
The combined risk profile of tree surgery
The work plan must deal with both the person at height and anyone who could be affected below.
Tree condition: inspect the tree and proposed anchors for defects and suitability. Choose a different method where climbing cannot be made safe.
Falling material: plan cuts and rigging, establish appropriate exclusion areas and coordinate the climber and ground team.
Chainsaws: use trained, competent operators with task-appropriate qualifications or supervised training and suitable protective equipment. A running chainsaw creates an additional cutting hazard during movement at height.
MEWPs: assess ground support, slope, access, cutting forces and falling material. Use equipment within its limits and avoid treating the platform as a rigging anchor unless designed and authorised for that purpose.
Power lines: assume overhead lines are live unless their owner proves otherwise. Consult the network operator and agree the safe method. Electricity can arc across a gap; insulation, gloves or line covers are not permission to approach or contact a live line.
Powered-access evidence and arboricultural risks
IPAF’s 2026 report describes worldwide powered-access incidents in 2025. It includes MEWPs, mast-climbing work platforms and hoists, and is not a UK arboriculture injury census.
- Its headline dataset contains 170 fatal or major incident reports, involving 192 people and 76 fatalities.
- There were 10 overturn reports, involving 15 people and seven fatalities.
- There were 28 electrical incident reports, involving 33 people and 20 fatalities.
- These counts cannot rank occupations by risk without suitable workforce or exposure denominators. They also do not establish the percentage of tree-surgery accidents caused by a particular machine type.
| Measure | Figure | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing worker deaths | 22 | Great Britain, 2025/26 provisional |
| Broad-sector fatal-injury rate | 8.09 per 100,000 | Agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2025/26 |
| Powered-access fatal or major incident reports | 170 | IPAF, worldwide, 2025 |
| Powered-access electrical fatalities | 20 | IPAF, worldwide, 2025 |
| Powered-access overturn fatalities | 7 | IPAF, worldwide, 2025 |
Training requirements for arborists working at height
Select training, qualifications and supervision for the actual task. A general work-at-height awareness course does not qualify someone for tree climbing, chainsaw work or aerial rescue.
Climbing and rescue: HSE requires suitable training, experience and expertise, with a relevant Certificate of Competence. A second person must be available, trained and equipped to carry out an aerial rescue.
Chainsaws: operators need appropriate training and competence for the work, with a relevant certificate or national qualification for work on or in trees unless undergoing supervised training. Avoid relying on obsolete unit numbers as a complete current qualification specification.
MEWPs: operators need appropriate training and familiarisation for the machine and task, with an assessed site and emergency-lowering arrangements. A particular commercial card scheme is not the legislation itself.
First aid: assess the injuries that could occur, remoteness and access for emergency help, and provide appropriate people, equipment and communications.
Work at height must follow the avoid–prevent–minimise hierarchy. Tree rope-access systems normally use separately anchored working and safety lines; any exceptional single-line arrangement requires the specific risk assessment and safeguards described in HSE guidance.
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This guide was produced by Mark McShane and the team at Working at Heights Course, a UK provider of RoSPA and CPD-accredited online working at height training, part of Online CPD Academy.
Sources & references
- HSE: fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2025/26 provisional
- HSE: RIDFATAL fatal injury data tables, including revised earlier years
- IPAF Global Safety Report 2026: worldwide reports for 2025
- IPAF: 2025 powered-access incident findings, September 2026
- HSE: tree climbing and rope systems
- HSE: competence and aerial rescue for tree-climbing operations
- HSE: chainsaw operator competence and protective equipment
- HSE: avoiding danger from overhead power lines
- Work at Height Regulations 2005
- HSE: working at height, a brief guide