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DEAD STUB KILLS LOGGER

Apr 10, 2012 | Logging Safety

BACKGROUND: A logger was working alone on uneven terrain in the Northeast in December. The weather was cold with a stiff breeze out of the north. It was the day before a major holiday.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The logger was wearing all the required personal protective equipment. He had attended a formal logger training program and was considered a safe worker.

UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITIONS: Having harvested most of the merchantable trees in his cutting block, the logger was cutting a seventeen-inch-diameter pine. After making his notch cut with the bottom cut bypassing his top cut, he attempted to place his backcut. It appears that his chain saw became pinched in the backcut. While attempting to complete the backcut with an axe, the tree’s hinge wood broke and twisted off the stump.

ACCIDENT: The pine fell opposite the intended direction and hit a birch stub that was 20 feet away. The birch stub top broke at about 18 feet above the ground and rebounded towards the logger. The stub, approximately 28 feet long, struck the logger positioned about 25 feet away.

INJURIES: The logger died of internal injuries.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Any number of underlying factors may have contributed to this accident. The exact sequence of events will never be known. There are, however, several points that all loggers should consider prior to felling any tree.

  1. Always check for overhead hazards first, before making the first cut.
  2. Identify, manage, and remove all hazards before work progresses. Removal of hazards with an enclosed skidder or other enclosed equipment should be your first choice of options. Hung or set-back trees should be felled by mechanical means, if available.
  3. Plan, clear, and use a retreat path.
  4. Use proper felling techniques to assure yourself of accurate directional felling. An important point to make is to determine the lean of the tree (front to back, and side to side), the weight and position of the crown, and the wind direction. Loggers should assess this information when developing the cutting plan. Visualize yourself cutting the tree step by step.
  5. Never work alone.

Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/