Chipper Training – The Dangers of Operating a Woodchipper

Training in how to safely operate a wood chipper is not only critical to the safety of your workers — it is a requirement under Work Health and Safety legislation.

A serious incident in Sydney highlighted why wood chippers can be so dangerous. A person had their leg severely injured when a rope attached to a log became caught while feeding material into a wood chipper. Any injury is unfortunate, but incidents like this serve to highlight the urgent need for comprehensive training in safe wood chipper operation.

Why Do I Need to Do Chipper Training?

Chipper training is often overlooked by arboricultural and tree service companies in Australia. There is a nationally recognised unit of competency designed specifically for the safe operation of commercial wood chippers: FWPHAR2206 – Operate a Mobile Chipper Mulcher.

The unit is included in the Certificate III in Arboriculture but is also frequently delivered as a stand-alone course. It covers the safest ways to operate and maintain a large commercial-size chipper (6 inches and above).

In recent years, many electrical service companies have required all workers who use a woodchipper to hold appropriate training — and to renew that training every three years. This has established an industry standard that Work Health and Safety regulators such as WorkCover NSW and WorkSafe ACT would be expected to enforce. Employers have a duty to ensure their staff are adequately trained, and FWPHAR2206 is the recognised benchmark.

Workers' compensation insurers are also increasingly requiring evidence of chipper training — or charging higher premiums where it is absent.

Who Is a Chipper Course For?

Any staff member who operates a wood chipper should receive appropriate training. We have trained workers from arboricultural companies, National Parks and Wildlife agencies, local government, and electrical service contractors.

What Do I Learn in a Chipper Course?

Lemke Timber Training has been delivering this course for many years, and we have refined the content to cover the key hazards you and your staff will face when using a wood chipper:

• Safe manual handling of awkward branches
• How to correctly start up and shut down a woodchipper
• Pre-start checks, risk assessment, and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)
• Correct feeding techniques to prevent kickback and entanglement
• Daily maintenance including greasing and changing chipper knives
• Techniques to maximise worksite safety

If you would like to know more or organise training, get in touch with us — we come to your workplace.