OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14240808
KRUMERI FOREST PRODUCTS
WARBA, MN·
Event description
Employee Struck by Falling Tree
Investigation abstract
Employee #1 had about 30 years of pulpwood logging experience, both as an indepe fall about 20 degrees, onto a dead tree located 25 to 30 feet away from the fal ling tree. The falling tree struck the dead tree at a point about 20 feet above the ground. The dead tree broke off at the point it was struck by the falling tr ee. The dead tree acted as a fulcrum for the falling tree, causing it's butt end to flip up and strike the retreating employee, who was about 10 or 12 feet away from the tree stump. He was hospitalized for his injuries. ndent logger, and as an employee working for other loggers. He had been with his present employer for 6 years. He was considered by his employer and coworkers t o be a conscientious and safe logger. The employee was felling a 10- to 12-in.-d iameter tree, 50 to 60 feet in height. He completed his cut in a safe manner, wi th proper notching and leaving a clear path of retreat. After completing the cut , he began to back away from the falling tree. A skidder operator was awaiting t he felling of the tree so that he could collect it. He observed the tree as it b egan to fall. A sudden gust of wind caught the tree and changed its direction of
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 48 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 39
- Occupation code
- 496
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.