20
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
March/April 2018
MY DAVEY
'FACTORS AND FORCES' GLOVES
PUT KNOWLEDGE IN YOUR HANDS
Soon, you'll see more and more members of the Davey
family spreading knowledge without uttering a word.
All you have to do is look at their gloves and ask them to
tell you more.
Those who complete Davey's Factors and Forces
educational class receive a pair of custom work
gloves made by Arborwear that have reminders
on how to evaluate tree risk.
"I like to think of the gloves as the diploma
for completing Factors and Forces," R.J.
Laverne, Davey's manager of education and
training, said.
"These gloves are not a general issue, which
means you cannot order them," said Joe
Tommasi, vice president of Davey's corporate
safety department. "The only way to get the
gloves is to complete the course. That way
you know the steps and process to use
them properly."
Together, the Davey Institute and the corporate
safety department collaborated to create the
Factors and Forces course, which teaches participants a
straightforward, efficient way to determine the risk related
to climbing or working in, on or near a tree.
Factors that cause strength loss in the tree, such as weak
branch attachments or decay, can also be overpowered by
external forces, such as wind or ice that trigger tree failure.
On each finger of the glove, you'll see one of the five factors
and five forces. Participants learn how to use the gloves to
examine tree risk before climbing or beginning work.
"As we were developing this course, we realized it could
be summarized in 10 concepts. When I was ready to write
them down, I saw a pair of work gloves, and that's when
the light bulb went off," Laverne said.
Left: The Davey Institute and corporate
safety department worked closely with
Arborwear to develop a high-quality work
glove that could also spread a message.
Above: R.J. Laverne poses with the first
prototype of the gloves for the Factors
and Forces program.
"
As we were developing this course, we
realized it could be summarized in 10
concepts. When I was ready to write
them down, I saw a pair of work gloves,
and that's when the light bulb went off.
"
— R.J. Laverne
manager of education and training
