Insurance & Safety

Safety standards to discuss before work begins

ANSI A300 is a family of consensus standards covering professional tree-care practices such as pruning, soil management, support systems, lightning protection, and risk assessment. OSHA rules address workplace safety topics that may apply to tree-care operations, including personal protective equipment, electrical hazards, fall protection, vehicles, and material handling. A standard is not a substitute for a site-specific work plan.

Shreveport Trees recommends asking the provider assigned to your project how current ANSI A300 practices and applicable OSHA requirements will be addressed. Do not treat a website statement as proof of compliance; request documentation and discuss the actual crew, equipment, and work zone.

Pre-work verification checklist

• Request a written scope identifying the trees, objectives, access route, cleanup, exclusions, price, and schedule.
• Ask for current certificates of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance, when applicable, and verify the insured name, policy dates, limits, and carrier contact information.
• Confirm responsibility for public-utility notification, Louisiana 811 requests, and separate locating of private lines.
• Discuss energized conductors, traffic, neighboring property, structures, fences, irrigation, septic components, soft ground, and other work-zone constraints.
• Keep residents, pets, vehicles, and bystanders outside the provider’s established exclusion zone.

Handling a tree-damage insurance claim

Policies differ, and coverage decisions belong to the carrier. The process below is a practical preparation guide; it does not promise coverage, reimbursement, direct billing, or a relationship with any insurer.

1. Protect people first. Keep clear of unstable trees, hanging limbs, damaged structures, and downed or threatened power lines. Contact emergency services or the utility when appropriate.
2. Document conditions from a safe location. Take wide and close photographs of the tree, damage, surrounding property, and access route. Note the date, weather event, and immediate safety concerns.
3. Contact your carrier promptly. For State Farm, Allstate, or any other carrier, obtain a claim number and ask whether an inspection or authorization is required before non-emergency removal or disposal.
4. Prevent additional loss only when safe. Follow the adjuster’s instructions and retain photographs before temporary protective work. Do not enter an unsafe area to collect evidence.
5. Obtain a written tree-work scope. Separate emergency stabilization, removal, hauling, stump work, roof or structure work, and restoration so the carrier can understand each item.
6. Keep records. Save estimates, contracts, invoices, proof of payment, photographs, adjuster messages, and debris-disposal records. Ask the carrier which documents are required.

Questions for State Farm, Allstate, or another carrier

• Is the tree itself covered, or only damage to an insured structure?
• Are emergency stabilization, debris removal, stump grinding, and landscaping handled separately?
• Is pre-authorization or an adjuster inspection required?
• What deductible, limit, documentation, and deadline apply?
• Should invoices be paid by the policyholder and submitted for review, or is another payment process available?

Liability protection and equipment safety

Insurance certificates help confirm that coverage was represented for a stated period, but they do not replace the contract or guarantee that every event is covered. Match the insured business name to the provider performing the work and ask questions when subcontractors will be used.

Equipment should be selected only after access, tree condition, load path, nearby structures, utilities, soil, slope, and weather are reviewed. Crane-assisted work may be considered on some properties, but no fixed crane capacity is appropriate for every project. Safe planning includes the manufacturer’s load chart, boom configuration, pick radius, ground-bearing conditions, setup, qualified operators and rigging personnel, communication procedures, and a controlled exclusion zone.

Ask the assigned provider to explain the project-specific plan. Do not rely on generic equipment claims, and never enter the work zone unless the crew has clearly authorized it.