What You Must Know About Treestand Safety- Pt 1 By Richard L. Holdcraft, - HHD Consulting Group
Oct 14, 2008 - 6:58:04 AM
In a recent report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that 6,410 injuries attributed to treestand use were treated in U.S. hospitals nationwide in 2001. This is based on a review of their National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Their data sources further indicated that there were 137 incidents involving treestands from 1980 through 2001. Included in these statistics were 62 deaths, 55 injuries, 17 incidents not involving death or injury, and 3 incidents in which the outcome is unknown. Of the 137 incidents, 54 mentioned treestand failures resulting in 6 of the deaths, 40 injuries, and 8 incidents without injury. There were eight incidents involving hanging or traumatic asphyxiation by a safety belt around the waist or chest that resulted in death. These are only the incidents reported by hospitals; they do not include statistics for incidents that are misclassified but still treestand related.
The CPSC estimates there may be at least 11 million treestands in use by hunters. The estimated annual shipments of all manufactured treestand types could exceed 1.4 million units. The total annual retail sales of all manufactured treestand types range from $75 million to $150 million. The use of treestands for hunting has increased dramatically in the past few years. Along with the increase in their use comes an increase in the number of serious or fatal injuries. While firearms related incidents has declined tremendously since mandatory hunter education courses were instituted and blaze orange laws were passed, the number of treestand related incidents has increased significantly. During 2003, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reported that 75 % of their hunting fatalities were due to treestand accidents.
Let's do a quick refresher of what constitutes a treestand and a safety harness. Treestands are used by hunters who prefer to hunt from elevated positions to increase their field of view and to decrease the likelihood of detection by game animals on the ground. A treestand is basically a seat and footrest unit that is either strapped to a tree or branches, or is part of a freestanding tower design. Several styles of treestands are available, such as an integral ladder and platform stand; fixed-position stands, and self-climbing stands. Unique features distinguish each style.
Ladder or Tower/Box Stands: A ladder stand consists of a seating platform and a footrest platform that strap to a tree and are accessed by a ladder constructed from individual ladder sections; a ladder is integral to the design of this type of treestand. Ladder stands can be positioned at various heights depending on the length and number of ladder sections used. According to hunting catalogs, most ladder stands have the capability to reach heights ranging from 12 to 17 feet with 20 feet appearing to be the height of the tallest ladder stand currently marketed.
Ladder tripod stands or tower/box stands provide the same benefits as treestands but are freestanding and can be erected in open areas away from trees. Commercial tripod and tower/box stands appear to be involved with fewer treestand fall incidents than other types of treestands according to safety ratings devised by Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine and a survey of hunters conducted in Vermont and North Carolina.
Fixed-Position or Hang-On Stands: Fixed-position tree stands, which are often referred to as lock-on or hang-on stands, are usually folding seats that require accessory climbing equipment, such as screw-in or strap on tree steps, climbing sticks, or ladder designs, to gain access to the elevated stand. The height at which fixed-position stands can be set relies on the judgment of the hunter and the preset heights of accessory climbing equipment. Of manufactured tree stands, fixed-position treestands and the climbing accessories appear to be involved with a large percentage of treestand incidents.
Climbing Stands: A climbing stand is walked or inched up the tree by alternately raising the seating platform and the standing platform in a stand up, sit down pattern. The climbing function is integral to the design of the treestand making additional climbing equipment (ladders, tree steps, and climbing sticks) unnecessary.
Homemade Stands: Hunters can elect to build their own stands as an alternative to purchasing commercially manufactured stands. According to a survey conducted by Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine in 1999, it was disclosed that homemade stands are more hazardous than commercial stands and account for a wide variety of structural failures. Conversely, a survey conducted by the International Hunter Education Association in 2002, found that treestand incidents occurred more frequently with manufactured stands (68%) than with homemade stands (32%).
Treestand Features: Hunters have a variety of features to choose from when selecting treestands. These features include portability, bars, chains, straps and rails that affix the seating device to the tree, gun rests, bow rests, outward facing stands, forward facing stands, and multiple-occupancy stands that include a treestand with a seating capacity for four individuals.
Treestand Failures: A non-statistical survey conducted by Deer and Deer Hunting magazine in 1993 and again in 1999, concluded that the most common reason for falls from elevated hunting positions was due to some type of structural failure. These types of failures included rotted wood, loose nails, nails pulling through boards, broken bands, bolts, ropes, or other attaching devices. There were no statistics presented regarding failures of commercially manufactured treestands.
