Tree Safety

Widow campaigns for legal reform after husband killed by falling tree branch

A widow whose husband was killed by a falling tree branch has vowed to fight “with every bone of my body” to secure changes to tree safety laws in his memory.

Christopher Hall, 48, died on 28 August 2020 while walking his dog in The Carrs, a public park in Wilmslow, Cheshire, after a large branch fell from a tree and struck him.

His wife, Fiona Hall, said his death was “utterly senseless” and has called for UK-wide legislation to ensure consistent standards for tree maintenance and public safety. “It is absolutely imperative that we have legislation across the UK for tree maintenance and safety,” she said.

Cheshire East Council, which owns and manages the park, was fined £500,000 following Mr Hall’s death after it emerged the authority had failed to investigate when a large branch fell from the same tree a year earlier. Both the council and its grounds maintenance contractor, Ansa, were sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court in November 2024 for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

In response, the Hall family is campaigning for “Chris’s Law”, which would require regular, professional safety inspections of trees in public spaces. Mrs Hall said the fine imposed on the council highlighted what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

The campaign has gained significant public support, with more than 34,000 people signing a petition calling for reform. It is also backed by Tatton MP Esther McVey.

Cheshire East Council said it had made a number of improvements since the incident. Councillor David Jefferay, chair of the council’s environment and communities committee, said: “Since this tragic event, we have implemented several safety improvements in line with our tree management strategy. Our priority is to ensure the safety of everyone who visits and enjoys our green spaces.”

Additional Resources

To learn more about Tree Safety, consult the Handsam Quick Guides by using the Topic Tag TREES. You can reach out to us at 03332 07037 or email info@handsam.co.uk for further details or pricing.

Trees may be a beautiful addition to the landscape and a source of education, but they still pose a risk to students and staff in schools.

There is only a low risk associated with trees, however the HSE state that where "reasonably practicable health and safety management measures are available, in individual cases, they should be taken." Tree safety should therefore be managed in line with reasonably practicable risk control and you should be aiming at all times "to ensure that foreseeable damage/injury does not occur due to tree failure".

Handsam recommends having a full tree survey at least every three years and more regularly (often once per year) if you have multiple trees, if the risk of them falling into areas where humans congregate is obvious or if they look to the untrained eye like they are leaning or dying (at which point intervention will almost certainly be necessary). Trees should also be regularly monitored, aprticularly after priods of inclement and windy weather, with any broken branches being removed safely if they threaten to fall and cause injury.

Take into account the following key risks when managing tree safety on school premises:

• Uneven surfaces and obstructed paths;

• Causing trip risks through roots;

• Damaging vehicles through falling boughs and branches;

• Overgrowth;

• Excessive size;

• Deteriorating condition and falling distance;

• Frequency of public access to the tree and student behaviour;

• Climbing or destruction and the variety of tree,

• Age;

• Health;

• Scale; and

• Likelihood of collapse.

Informed by risk assessment, duty holders must compose a reasonable, cost effective and balanced approach to tree safety, covering control measures and strategy.

Trees as an Educational Resource

Trees can provide a way to teach about the passage of time and the cycles of nature. It can be a focus for an eco-system study, an exploration into photosynthesis and plant growth or a prop in a theatrical scene. Plan lessons to maximise the natural spaces on site. Trees are valuable and interesting and using them creatively instils a sense of their worth in pupils.

This can then be built upon through recycling skills, the reusing of paper, and focusing on encouraging sustainability.

Five Key Principles

The National Tree Safety Group (NTSG) is composed of a number of organisations with an interest in tree risk management, including the Forestry Commission. The NTSG position is underpinned by a set of five key principles which should inform the role of trees in any setting:

• Trees provide a wide variety of benefits to society;

• Trees are living organisms that naturally lose branches or fall;

• The overall risk to human safety is extremely low;

• Tree owners have a legal duty of care; and

• Tree owners should take a balanced and proportionate approach to tree safety management.

.