BACKGROUND: A chain saw operator and a skidder operator were working close together during the mid-morning hours on a clear, windy day in the summer.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The skidder operator was considered to be fully trained with 20 years of work experience and no prior accidents. He wore personal protective equipment which included a hard hat. No information about the chain saw operator is available.
UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITION: The chain saw operator left a partially cut tree standing and then began to cut another nearby tree. The cable skidder operator dismounted his machine in the immediate area to hook up a tree on the ground. At the same time, the wind began to blow harder.
ACCIDENT: While the skidder operator was bent over to hook the choker cable, and was looking down, the wind blew the partially cut tree over, and it fell directly on him.
INJURY: The skidder operator was hospitalized with major injuries. He sustained a broken back, pelvis, ankle, and ribs, as well as punctured lungs.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: A tree that is partially cut is a “danger tree” and should never be left unattended without providing sufficient warning of this unsafe condition. OSHA requires that “each danger tree shall be felled or removed before work is commenced in the area of the “danger tree.” The wind was a contributing factor in this incident; always be aware that wind can cause overhead hazards at any time.
Skidder operators and chain saw operators should never work in an area at the same time. OSHA regulations specify that work areas shall be assigned so that trees cannot fall into an adjacent occupied work area and that the distance between the adjacent occupied work areas be at least twice the height of the trees being felled.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/