From Training to Safe Work: Closing the Gap

Erick Navarro Palacios, International Arborist Institute and Emiliano Jimenez-Cornejo, Soligo, LLC

Tree care companies rely on training to build safe crews, strengthen technical skills, and support consistent field performance. But formal instruction alone does not guarantee that critical knowledge stays active on the job site. In many operations, the real challenge begins after onboarding, certification, and refresher training ends.

This session examines the gap between training and safe work in real field conditions. Presenters will explore why knowledge often breaks down between formal instruction and daily application, especially in high-risk environments where crews must make quick decisions, communicate clearly, and apply standards consistently. The session will also address a common industry reality: mixed-language crews and limited bilingual supervision can make reinforcement, clarification, and hazard communication more difficult when it matters most.

Using examples from tree care operations, the session will highlight common points where training loses momentum, including tailgate meeting consistency, aerial rescue procedure review, chain saw and rigging practices, equipment inspection and maintenance checks, crew leader communication and decision-making, and field-level safety expectations across multilingual teams.

Attendees will be introduced to practical approaches organizations use to reinforce training between formal events, including structured refreshers, job aids, peer reinforcement, microlearning, and emerging AI-supported tools. Rather than focusing on a single solution, this session helps participants think more clearly about how reinforcement works, where their current systems may be falling short, and what options may be most useful in their own context.

Speaker Bio:

Jimenez-Cornejo, Emiliano – Soligo LLC 

Emiliano Jimenez-Cornejo is a workforce development specialist and instructional designer supporting arboriculture and utility vegetation management training programs across California. He serves as trainer-of-trainers and instructional design lead for Utility Vegetation Management Pre-Inspector Level 1 and Utility Line Clearance Arborist programs delivered through UpSkill California in more than 15 colleges statewide. Emiliano trains instructors in facilitation and adult learning, supports program delivery, and designs curriculum, participant materials, and assessments. Since 2017, he has worked with organizations across Northern California to strengthen leadership, safety performance, and team effectiveness, with a focus on improving how training transfers into day-to-day work. 

Palacious, Erick Navarro – International Arborist Institute 

Erick Navarro Palacios is an internationally recognized arborist, instructor, and speaker with more than 20 years of hands-on experience in the tree care industry. He serves as a lead instructor for Utility Line Clearance Arborist and other arboriculture programs at Butte College in Chico, California, and teaches advanced training for utility and residential arborist teams through the International Arborist Institute. Erick is a Certified Arborist and a voting member of the ANSI Z133 Accredited Standards Committee, where he currently serves as vice chair of the Education and Training Section. His work focuses on safety, technical instruction, and workforce development in arboricultural operations.