OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14458319
FRACTURE,HEAD,TREE FELLING,WORK RULES,SKULL,TREE,STRUCK BY,LOGGING
Event description
TREE FELLER KILLED WHEN STRUCK BY FALLING TREE
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING IN THE WOODS CUTTING TREES TO BE HAULED TO A LOCAL SAWMI RECTION. HE WAS STRUCK A GLANCING BLOW ON THE HEAD AND KNOCKED TO THE GROUND. HE SUFFERED A MASSIVE FRACTURE OF THE FRONT OF HIS HEAD WHEN STRUCK BY THE 24 INCH DIAMETER TREE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS THE ONLY TREE CUTTER WORKING IN THE WOODS. THE P RESIDENT OF THE FIRM WAS RUNNING THE SKIDDER MACHINE SKIDDING CUT TREES OUT OF T HE WOODS TO THE LOADING AREA. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WELL TRAINED AS A TREE CUTTER AND HAD BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR 22 YEARS. THE EMPLOYER PROVIDES HARDHATS, EYE GOGGL ES & GLOVES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. LL. HE WAS TRIMMING THE TOP FROM A PREVIOUSLY FELLED TREE WHILE STANDING IN THE FALL RADIUS OF A SECOND TREE WHICH HAD BEEN NOTCHED. FOR SOME REASON, THE SECOND TREE HAD NOT FALLEN WHEN FIRST CUT, BUT WAS LEANING TO THE SOUTH. EMPLOYEE #1 W AS USING A GASOLINE-POWERED CHAIN SAW TO CUT AND TRIM TREES. THE WEATHER WAS PAR TLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY. THE GROUND WAS WET FROM EARLY MORNING RAINS. THE WORK ARE A WAS LOCATED 25 FEET FROM A HAUL ROAD AND ON A SLOPE. EMPLOYEE #1 HAD JUST FINI SHED CUTTING THE FIRST BRANCH FROM THE TREE HE WAS TRIMMING WHEN EITHER THE WIND OR VIBRATIONS FROM EQUIPMENT CAUSED THE SECOND (NOTCHED) TREE TO FALL IN HIS DI
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 40 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 29
- Occupation code
- 496
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 1
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