BACKGROUND: On a wet winter day in the Appalachians, a forwarder operator was loading his machine in the woods. The tract was a clearcut of predominantly pulpwood on gently rolling, mountainous terrain.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The 43-year-old forwarder operator had approximately 22 years of logging experience and had been working for this crew for approximately one year. He was considered fully trained for the job. However, he was not wearing a seatbelt.
UNSAFE ACTS & CONDITIONS: The machine was experiencing an electrical problem with the brakes: they would engage when the unit was shut down, but they would not release when the forwarder was running. The logger disabled this brake engage system and relied on just the pedal brake while operating. (The pedal brake worked fine when the machine was running, but it did not operate when the engine was turned off.) The forwarder was low on fuel during the time of this incident.
ACCIDENT: When the operator started down the slope to gather wood, the fuel ran to one end of the tank, and the engine died. Since the pedal brake did not work when the engine shut down, and the shutoff brake system was disabled, the forwarder “took off” down the hill. It traveled 15 to 20 feet before rolling over on its side. The forwarder boom was extended to the side with a grapple of wood that could not release. This circumstance may have shifted the machine’s center of gravity and contributed to the rollover, but it might also have prevented a more severe rollover impact.
INJURY: The operator was not injured. He could have suffered a severe injury if the unit had completely rolled over.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION:
• Never disable a machine’s braking system.
• Keep equipment properly fueled.
• Wear a seatbelt as required by OSHA when operating a forwarder and other mobile logging equipment.
• Inspect the machine before every work shift, and do not operate it until any mechanical problems have been fixed.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/