Garden bench – tree house safety

You need to remember that, as the tree house builder, you have legal responsibility for the safety of people who enter the tree house with your permission. You will even be responsible, to some extent, for the safety of people who enter without your permission. You must therefore make sure either that the structure is reasonably safe, or is inaccessible without your consent, or both.

If the tree house will be used by children the height of the construction must be considered with great care, as must access. The height above which a fall can be life-threatening depends on the ground surface below. For a hard surface such as sand or gravel, a fall onto the head from more than about five feet is likely to be very serious. Children older than four usually have sufficient coordination to put their arms out if they fall head-first, but that doesn't prevent broken bones elsewhere. Unless your tree house is completely fall-proof, or young children are extremely closely supervised, you probably shouldn't build your tree house more than about six feet off the ground. Remember also that a child who falls may need to be carried to the house or even to an ambulance – if the only access to your tree house is through masses of bushes or trees along a narrow winding path, think again. How can medical help reach an injured child swiftly in such circumstances? You haven’t planned well enough for your tree house to be safe, find another location or give up the idea.

For a tree house more than six feet from the ground, consider not providing a permanent ladder or rope – but use a folding or removable ladder than can be locked away when not in use. This means that nobody can access the tree house easily. Prune away lower branches that might be used to try and climb to the house and when you are not around to supervise, lock up the tree house with an obvious large padlock so adventurous kids can see from the ground that there is no point trying to climb up and get in. It saves a lot of heartache.

Follow these tips for building a tree house that's safe, sturdy and long-lasting:

• Don't use nails for main supports. They are much weaker than bolts, can work loose easier, and you usually need many more to do the same job, which will cause more overall damage to the tree.
• Treat the tree with respect as a living thing. Allow for future growth as you build
• Children's tree houses are safest near the ground- six feet up or less - to minimise the danger from a fall
• Tree houses in high wind areas should be in the lower third of the tree, where wind speeds are lower and the leverage of the force on the tree is reduced.

Garden tree house safety photograph by chinyi, used under a creative commons attribution licence.

 

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