Hispanic arborist's helper struck and killed by a falling tree.
Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
NIOSH 2004 Nov; :1-8
Abstract
On June 13, 2003, a 39-year-old Hispanic male arborist's helper was killed when he was struck by a tree that was being cut down. The incident occurred at a private residence as a tree-trimming crew was finishing the removal of 12 trees from the front yard. The owner of the company had placed the bucket of a front-end loader against the tree to help direct its fall. He then made the cuts near the bottom of the tree trunk. The tree fell approximately 90 degrees left of where he had planned, towards the helper who was standing near the front of the home to load debris into a wood chipper. The owner shouted a warning to the workers, but the victim apparently did not hear it due to the noise from the chipper. The top of the tree struck him on the head as it fell to the ground. NJ FACE investigators recommend following these safety guidelines to prevent similar incidents: 1. Employees should use proper tree removal and communication methods as outlined in the ANSI Standard Z133.1-2000. 2. All employers and employees involved in tree work should receive training in arborist methods and equipment use. 3. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers.
Keywords
Accident-analysis; Accident-potential; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-equipment; Safety-practices; Traumatic-injuries; Region-2; Logging-workers; Forestry-workers; Work-analysis; Work-areas; Work-operations; Work-practices; Training; Occupational-hazards
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2006-112825
Identifying No.
FACE-03NJ043; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-OH-008345
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
