OSHA Inspection: ARBORSCAPE INC

Issued

Feb 3, 2011

Abate by

Feb 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $3,000 · Current $2,100 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from
recognized hazards that
were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees in that employees
were exposed to the hazard of being struck by trees during felling and
limbing operations.
Location: 12 Old Katonah Drive Katonah NY 10536
On or about 9/8/10,
a) Notches were made too deep during tree felling operations.
b) Limbing was performed on the downslope side of felled trees without
taking added
precautions.
Feasible and acceptable abatement methods, among others, to correct these
hazards are for the
employer to follow American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Z133.1-2006, Safety
Requirements for Arboricultural Operations, section 8.5.15.3 which states
that
notch depth
should not exceed one-third the diameter of the tree and section 8.7.3
which states that while
operating a chain saw during limbing the preferred working position is on
the uphill side of the
work.
NOTE: Because abatement of this violation is already documented in the
inspection case
file, the employer need not submit certification or documentation of
abatement for this
violation as normally required by 29 CFR 1903.19.