Wood Chipper Training Course for Aborists

NPTC IA Course - £285 per candidate inc VAT & NPTC Registration

This training course will consist mainly of the practical elements so you will be carrying out pre-start and post-operational checks as well as routine maintenance tasks. It will also teach you how to operate the wood chipper in a safe manner whilst at work.

This is an integrated training and assessment course aimed at arborists or any persons who finds the need to operate and maintain a manually fed wood chipper.

Wood chippers are indispensable for cleaning up felling sites and disposing of waste in arboricultural worksites. Learning how to operate a wood chipper is a must because cleanup and waste disposal after a felling or snedding is part of an arborist’s or tree surgeon’s job. While loading tree waste into a truck is always an option, using a wood chipper is much more convenient, time-saving and economical.

Take our wood chipper training and get an NPTC Certificate of Competence (COC) after passing the assessment.

About the Course

To gain a thorough understanding of how the machine works, our instructors will ask you to participate in  servicing the wood chipper on site. This demonstration will introduce the critical components as well as the best practices on how to keep them running in excellent condition.

A demonstration and hands-on trial will follow. You’ll learn how to start the machine, carry out safety checks and determine whether it is ready and safe to operate. Participants will take turns to feed tree waste into the wood chipper and learn how to do it the safe way.

The course will end with an assessment of your knowledge about the wood chipper and, more importantly, whether you’ve retained the safety guidelines when using the machine.

Course Participants

Workers of grounds maintenance contractors and clearing companies that haul snedding waste or cut-down trees from real estate developments will also benefit from this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, participants will have the confidence to use a wood chipping machine safely and efficiently.

Other practical takeaways will include:

●         Knowing how to conduct a risk assessment on-site

●         Knowing how to quickly and accurately inspect a wood chipper before use

●         Knowing how to estimate the correct diameter or thickness of branches and leaves that can fit into the wood chipper

Rentals and PPEs

As with the rest of our training courses, participants to our Wood Chipper Training Course for Arborists are welcome but not required to bring their own protective gear. You may rent them from us instead for an additional fee of £40.

• Protective boots, helmet, ear defenders and gloves

• Face visor

• First-aid kits

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Are you planning to buy a wood chipper for your business? Make sure you or at least the workers who will be using the machine can get a CoC on wood chipping training from DTE Academy. All of our courses are held in a laid back and constructive setting, welcoming all learners who strive to be their best.

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More About Wood Chippers and How They Work

Wood chipper training will teach how to carry out routine operator maintenance and much more. But before you step up and attempt to operate such a potentially hazardous piece of equipment you should know what you’re dealing with. So in the interest of health and safety here is some more useful information about the wood chipper and its benefits.

Different Kinds of Wood Chippers

There are 3 different kinds of wood chippers in common use today. They are all designed to transform wood trunks and branches into chips, but go about it in slightly different ways.

• The disc chipper - The disc chipper is typically used for landscaping and grounds maintenance and uses a stainless steel disc rotating at high speed to reduce large pieces of wood to small chips.

• The drum chipper - Sometimes called the drum shredder this type of chipper is also used in horticulture landscaping and grounds maintenance. As the name suggests there is a large drum at the heart of the mechanism with teeth on it that is used to draw material into the device for shredding/chipping.

• The high-torque roller chipper - This is a small electric powered device typically used around the home on a range of materials. They’re quiet, relatively slow and used for small branches and low volume projects.

During your wood chipper training, you will be typically dealing with a disc or drum chipper.

The Benefits of Using a Wood Chipper

Your wood chipper training from DTE will teach you to inspect and identify defects, safely prepare a work area and start the machine and carry out the chipping process safely and efficiently. Once you familiarise yourself with the machine you will also experience firsthand its many benefits, including:

• How much easier it makes your job - Any person employed in arboriculture will attest to how much easier the wood chipper makes their job. As you learn more about it, you will experience this first hand.

• How much time you will save - Properly set the machine prior to operation start and then be amazed at how quickly it disposes of your tree waste.

• How environmentally friendly it is - One common alternative to chipping is burning wood waste. But this has definite environmental drawbacks and is not allowed in most areas anyway.

Yes, you'll learn about relevant legislation and safety guidelines during our wood chipper training, but experiencing the benefits of the wood chipper first-hand will sell you on its use.

About Wood Chippers and Noise

A wood chipper is a noisy piece of equipment. There is no way to sugarcoat it. A typical gas-powered wood chipper will produce 110 decibels, noticeably more than a chainsaw. And when you feed a branch or a piece of the trunk into it there are bursts as high as 120 decibels. That's as loud as a passenger jet taking off or a gunshot. Electric models are significantly quieter, typically producing around 85-90 decibels, but even that is loud enough to warrant protection.

In all likelihood, prolonged exposure to the noise produced by a gas-powered wood chipper will cause gradual damage to a person's hearing. For that reason, we insist everyone who takes one of our wood chipper operation and maintenance courses becomes familiar with and wears proper hearing protection at all times.

In addition, learning proper maintenance will help ensure that any wood chipper you are responsible for will stay as quiet as possible, although quiet is admittedly a relative term in this case.

Some Basic Maintenance Checks You Will Learn

Keeping the wood chipper in tip-top shape is good for the machine, good for business and good for your hearing. Throughout the Wood Chipper Training Course for Arborists, you will learn a number of basic maintenance checks that will make your job easier and ensure your wood chipper is there for you when you need it. These include:

Checking the blades/knives after each use - The point is to ensure the blades are free of damage so that next time out you can avoid an accident. You will learn to identify the signs of damage and signs that the blade has come loose or has otherwise become a hazard.

Keeping the chipper properly lubricated - It is imperative that the wood chipper is always properly lubricated and during your Wood Chipper Training Course you will learn the right way to do that. Proper lubrication of the cutter drum and disc bearings also helps keep potentially harmful moisture at bay.

Finally, you will learn how to conduct an inspection in advance of using the chipper. We'll show you red flags to look for and how to conduct simple fixes.

FAQs

How long does the City Guilds NPTC wood chipper training course take?

The City & Guilds NPTC Wood Chipper Training Course takes place over the course of one full day. Participants are urged to arrive on time in order to take full advantage of everything being covered as the day unfolds.

Do I need to be an aspiring tree surgeon to take this course?

No, you do not have to be a tree surgeon to take this course. For instance, landscapers often use wood chippers to aid in their work. In addition, local municipalities often use wood chipping operations to aid in land clearing and storm cleanup. In such cases the people tasked with operating a wood chipper need to know how to use it safely and effectively. We can show them.

Does the course cover how to operate an electric wood chipper?

The City & Guilds NPTC Wood Chipper Training Course focuses on teaching safe and effective operation of gas-powered wood chippers, and there's a reason for that. Electric wood chippers typically do not produce enough power to be effective in commercial settings where there are large amounts of tree waste to be processed and some of it is quite bulky.

Is there a chance my hand could get caught in a manually fed wood chipper?

Not if you pay attention to what the instructor is saying. Safety is the #1 consideration when it comes to operating equipment like this. And while manufacturers already build a number of safety features into the equipment our instructors go the extra mile to emphasize proper techniques to employ when using a wood chipper. So if you pay attention and internalise what the instructor is saying you should be fine.

Can a wood chipper be used to dispose of other types of waste like plastic?

We cannot control what people do with their wood chippers, but we would strongly advise you not to use the wood chipper for anything other than the purpose stated by the manufacturer. Feeding things like plastic, metal, glass or other such materials into a chipper will create unique hazards that cannot be fully anticipated and will also damage the cutting mechanisms and probably the machine itself.