Everyone involved in forestry work has health and safety duties and responsibilities. This Practice Note provides guidance to help landowners, forest managers and forestry practitioners manage public safety on harvesting sites.

Forest operations are high-risk activities, and the management issues involved in harvesting and hauling timber while maintaining public access to forests and woodlands can be complex. There are a number of tasks that have to be undertaken – both during planning and while carrying out operations – to ensure that people’s health and safety is not put at risk.

This note sets out the different roles and responsibilities for managing public safety to ensure that activities on and around harvesting worksites are co-ordinated and the right tasks are carried out by the right people. It provides information and advice on suitable control measures and illustrates good practice through the use of scenarios. The guidance was first published in 2001 by the Forestry and Arboriculture Safety Training Council (FASTCo).