SafeWork SA reminds businesses to conduct regular maintenance on trees

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SafeWork SA reminds businesses to conduct regular maintenance on trees after several serious incidents involving falling branches across South Australia. Regular tree inspections help identify hazardous limbs before people are harmed, protecting both public safety and workplace health.

SafeWork SA has recently issued a reminder to businesses to conduct regular tree inspections following a series of recent incidents where people were seriously injured by falling branches.

Recent Incidents Prompting the Reminder

In February, a person died after being struck by a tree branch in the Adelaide Park Lands. During that same month, another sustained severe injuries in a comparable incident while attending a funeral.

Additionally, in November of last year, several people were struck by falling tree branches while attending a wedding in Belair. These events highlight why maintaining trees near public areas remains critical for community safety.

What SafeWork SA Recommends

"A risk assessment or hazard identification should be completed on all trees under the management or control of a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure the risks are identified and a system of work is developed to adequately manage the risk," SafeWork SA states in the reminder.

Businesses across construction, healthcare and manufacturing sectors should treat tree maintenance with the same rigour applied to equipment upkeep programs. A structured inspection schedule reduces hazardous outcomes and supports broader workplace health obligations.

Key Considerations for PCBUs

• Conduct regular risk assessments on trees within business-controlled areas, including bushfire risk areas.
• Document inspection findings and develop a system of work to manage identified risks.
• Prioritise trees near construction sites, public areas and pedestrian pathways.
• Check for hazardous limbs, particularly after storms or extended dry periods.
• Ensure equipment used for tree assessment and removal meets relevant safety standards.

Why Tree Maintenance Matters for Safety

Falling branches pose a significant safety risk, particularly in construction environments where equipment, electrical infrastructure and personnel operate close to mature trees. A single unmanaged hazard can result in serious injury or worse, as the recent incidents demonstrate.

Construction site managers should integrate tree inspections into existing safety protocols, much like they would for equipment and vehicle checks. Where trees are located near electrical assets, additional caution is required, since falling limbs can damage electrical equipment or create secondary hazards for workers nearby.

Businesses managing construction sites, healthcare facilities or manufacturing yards should also consider how tree-related risks intersect with other workplace safety priorities, particularly during summer months when trees are more likely to shed branches under heat stress.

Building a System of Work

Every effective system of work begins with hazard identification, followed by risk evaluation and control implementation. For tree management, this means:

• Scheduling routine visual inspections by qualified arborists.
• Recording tree health and condition over time to track deterioration.
• Removing or pruning hazardous branches promptly once identified.
• Maintaining equipment records for any machinery used during tree works.
• Reviewing procedures alongside existing safety compliance frameworks already in place across the business.

Construction companies operating near electrical infrastructure should coordinate tree maintenance with electrical safety checks, since overhanging branches near powerlines create compounding hazards that require careful sequencing of work.

Businesses should also review how tree-related risks fit within broader SafeWork SA guidance on hazard management, ensuring consistency across health and safety documentation.

More Information

More information is available on the SafeWork SA website. Businesses seeking to strengthen their maintenance procedures may also benefit from reviewing established business policies and procedures to ensure tree inspection responsibilities are clearly assigned and consistently followed.

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