105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14443352

HEAD,TREE FELLING,TREE,LOGGER,NECK,STRUCK BY,FLYING OBJECT,LOGGING,WINCH,DRAGLINE

Event
HEAD,TREE FELLING,TREE,LOGGER,NECK,STRUCK BY,FLYING OBJECT,LOGGING,WINCH,DRAGLINE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14443352
Report ID
355117

Event description

LOGGER STRUCK IN HEAD AND KILLED BY TREE BEING WINCHED

Investigation abstract

THE ACCIDENT TOOK PLACE AT A LOGGING JOB SITE WHERE FELLERS AND TOPPERS WERE FEL LING TREES FOR THE SKIDDER TO MOVE TO THE LOG DECK. THE SKIDDER OPERATOR WAS WIN CHING UP A DRAG WHEN A PULPWOOD SIZE TREE IN THE DRAG HUNG UP ON A STUMP AND BEC AME AIRBORNE BEFORE THE OPERATOR COULD CUT POWER FROM THE WINCH CABLE. THE TREE THEN SWUNG IN A COUNTERCLOCKWISE DIRECTION. AS EMPLOYEE #1 WAS PREPARING TO MAKE AN UNDERCUT ON THE NEXT TREE TO BE FELLED, THE SWINGING TREE STRUCK HIM ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS HEAD AND NECK. HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SITE.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    1
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    14
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    496
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    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.