Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 35(6): November 2009 blade angle, and other pertinent variables. Neither did the test regard other rope constructions (3-strand, 12-strand), which are used less often for climbing. In the interest of raising awareness of this type of injury in a timely fashion, only the initial findings are presented here. Additional studies continue to test other variables. It is important to remember that choosing a climbing rope, handsaw, or any tool, should be made on the basis of many fac- tors, not a single consideration such as the ease of cutting through one’s rope with a handsaw. Although blade was clearly the more important factor in determining the likelihood of cutting one’s rope, it does not seem prudent to require that climbers use a par- ticular type of handsaw solely on the basis of reducing the likeli- hood of cutting through one’s climbing rope. Since this type of accident appears to be relatively uncommon, a more judicious approach is to address this safety concern through training and raised awareness. Although there do not appear to be any specific investigations pertinent to handsaws, there is a wealth of epide- miological evidence connecting repetitive, forceful movements in the hand and wrist with carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis (NIOSH 1997). In light of this circumstantial evidence, and the finding that cutting productivity correlated well with the user’s comfort level with a handsaw (Mirka et al. 2009), one may specu- late that ergonomic injuries, such as those due to repeated strokes of a handsaw to complete a cut, would be a more likely cause of lost productivity in the industry. Future work should focus on 1) determining the field conditions under which ropes are like- ly to be cut between 30% and 70%, the range in which percent strength loss was greater than that caused by tying a knot in the rope but less than the point at which the rope would fail under the climber’s weight; 2) developing experimental protocols to mimic such situations; and 3) which aspects of a blade (tooth de- sign, teeth per inch, curvature) most influence cutting efficiency. Acknowledgments. The authors thank Bartlett Tree Experts for fund- ing our research; New England Ropes, Samson Rope, and Yale Cordage for donating ropes; Dan Pepin (University of Massachusetts) for build- ing the pendulum; and two anonymous reviewers as well as the follow- ing individuals for helpful insights while we prepared and revised the manuscript: Jim Ackerman (Bartlett Tree Experts) Ed Carpenter (North American Training Solutions and CORErgonomics), Richard Herfurth (Bartlett Tree Experts), David Marren (Bartlett Tree Experts), Brian Maxson (Bartlett Tree Experts), and Scott Prophett (North American Training Solutions). LITERATURE CITED Anderson, M.J. 2001. A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology 26:32–46. Anonymous. 2004. Fiber Rope Inspection and Retirement Criteria. Cord- age Institute International Guideline CI 2001-04. Cordage Institute Wayne, PA. 67 pp. Anonymous. 2006a. American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations–Pruning, Repairing, Maintaining, and Removing Trees, and Cutting Brush–Safety Requirements. American National Stan- dards Institute NY, NY 32 pp. Anonymous. 2006b. Test Methods for Fiber Rope. Cordage Institute Inter- national Guideline CI 1500-02. Cordage Institute Wayne, PA. 18 pp. Georgia Arborist Association. 2009. Industry Incidents in Georgia.
. ISA. 2008. International Tree Climbing Championship Rulebook. 33 pp. McKenna, H.A., J.W.S. Hearle, and N. O’Hear. 2004. Handbook of Fibre Rope Technology. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, England. 416 pp. Milne, K.A., and A.J. McLaren. 2006. An assessment of the strength of knots and splices used as eye terminations in a sailing environment. Sports Engineering 9:1–13. Mirka, G.A., S. Jin, and J. Hoyle. 2009. An evaluation of arborist hand- saws. Applied Ergonomics 40:8–14. NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). 1997. Musculoskeletal Disorders and Workplace Factors. US Dept. of Health and Human Services. 590 pp. Brian Kane (corresponding author) Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation Holdsworth Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, U.S. [email protected] Mac Cloyes Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation Holdsworth Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, U.S. Mollie Freilicher Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation Holdsworth Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, U.S. H. Dennis Ryan Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation Holdsworth Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, U.S. 309 ©2009 International Society of Arboriculture
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