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Tree trimmer killed when a branch to which he was tied broke and his lifeline failed.

Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 96NJ074, 1997 Mar; :1-5
Link
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/nj/96nj074.html
NIOSHTIC No.
20026644
Abstract
On September 9, 1996, a 28 year-old tree trimmer died when he fell 60 feet from a tree he was cutting to a gravel driveway below. He was attached by a lanyard to the branch he was trimming and, when the branch broke behind him, he fell with it. His safety line was attached to the tree trunk and, as he and the 25 foot long branch section fell, his safety line broke and he fell to the ground. New Jersey FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents, the following safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Arborists should use appropriate fall arrest systems when working in trees. 2. Arborists should use appropriate cutting techniques. 3. Employers should provide appropriate training and supervision to employees. 4. Employers and employees should be aware of the dangers of drugs and other substances that may impair judgment or alertness. 5. Arborists should be properly trained in identifying hazardous trees and in safely trimming or removing them.
Keywords
Accident-analysis; Accident-potential; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-practices; Safety-measures; Traumatic-injuries; Work-practices; Training; Region-2; Personal-protection; Personal-protective-equipment; Substance-abuse; Occupational-accidents; Occupational-hazards; Work-analysis; Work-operations; Protective-equipment
Publication Date
19970327
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
Fiscal Year
1997
NTIS Accession No.
PB2013-100011
NTIS Price
A02
Identifying No.
FACE-96NJ074; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088
SIC Code
NAICS-56
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
State
NJ; WV
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
Page last reviewed: May 5, 2020
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division