Tree Trimming and Clearing Safety

Danielle Dole

John Newquist

Draft 4 22 2015

The Problem

• In 2012, 243 workers nationwide died while involved in tree trimming and clearing activities.

• June 19, 2014 OSHA announced an emphasis for the sector.

Who is required to be trained and when?

• Prior to initial assignment;

• When assigned new work tasks, tools, equipment, machines, or vehicles; and

• Whenever they demonstrate unsafe job performance.

Top 5 Causes of Death

• Fall out of Tree• Fall out of Bucket• Electrocution • Struck by limb• Wood Chippers

Top 5 Causes

• Fall from Tree – No Fall Arrest

June 2014

• Kansas• Worker fell from

tree during tree trimming/removal

October 2014

• Tree Trimming

January 2015

• Always set your rope first b4 u start climbin, thought i'd be cute 1 day & didnt & i fell 20ft & hit every branch on the way down b4 landing n mud & cow crap!!!! Good thing the landing was soft..lol!

• - Brad Moulton

September 2014

• A man suffered serious injuries after falling from a tree in Green Twp., Clark County in Ohio

September 2014

• Claymont DE• A tree trimmer was flown to the

hospital on Friday after he apparently fell from a tree branch, landed on another, then landed on a hornet's nest.

The 35-year-old man was trimming a tree 65 feet up when he fell 40 feet down further into the tree.

February 2015

• Safety line• Phil Nippert

September 2014

February 2015

• Buckingham spikes

November 2014

• Dead Oak• Climb to cut it

down?

July 2014

• "Landed on the back of my shoulder blades and broke my back in two places," said Long.

• He's worked in the construction businesses for more than two decades, but about four months ago his career flashed before his eyes when he fell from a tree branch.

December 2014

• Side trimming

December 2014

• Safety lines.• One loose to

branch he is cutting.

October 2014

• "I wore a safety helmet," Hanson told Fox 9 News. "Doctors tell me that if I wouldn't have worn that helmet, I don't know if I would have made it.“

• Hanson fell 60 feet in a tree.

December 2014

• Thank god for ppe limb covered in ice and my snap cut didn't go the way I wanted it to.

• Jaime Boulay

December 2014

• Double safety lines, but wearing a safety belt.

October 2014

Fall From Aerial Lifts

February 2015

• Pittsburg PA• Worker fell and

died from bucket truck during tree trimming.

Aug 2014

• Tree Trimmer stuck in aerial lift• Dallas TX

February 2015

• Unusual aerial lift

January 2015

Michael Gray

November 2014

• PA• “I watched him bring the

bucket down and he fell and there he was when I ran over lying under the truck like he was taking a n

• John Hanovic, Butler County chief deputy coroner, said he declared the victim dead from head injuries at the scene. He said an autopsy was to be done in the afternoon

September 2014

• Alabama• 47-year-old Jason

Buckley of Union Grove was flipped from a bucket and fell 60 feet to his death after a limb he was cutting struck the bucket’s arm

• No harness.

August 2014

• Concord MA

November 2014

• Maynardville TN• Officials say ABC

Professional Tree Services was doing contract work for the Knoxville Utilities Board around power lines on Raccoon Valley Road when the driver attempted to move the truck with the boom in the air.

December 2014

• Limit of this aerial lift

October 2014

• Port Austin MI• An employee told officials

the branch then let loose, causing enough pressure to shake the boom side-to-side, throwing Andreski from the bucket, some 45 to 50 feet to the ground. 

October 2014

• Fort Lauderdale FL• Authorities said the victim

was trimming trees at 1131 SW 9th Ave. on Thursday afternoon when something malfunctioned, sending the bucket and the worker to the ground.

July 2014

• PA ejected out of bucket truck. Unknown if he was given fall harness to prevent the fall.

July 2014

• Phillips was in the bucket and was not wearing a safety harness.

• They said he had tied a rope to a tree he was trying to cut down.

• The rope was attached to the bucket winch.

• Phillips, they said, tried to pull down a partially cut piece of tree using the winch.

• The rope snapped and caused the bucket to move.

• As it moved, Phillips was thrown out and fell to the ground.

July 2014

• Emergency officials in Marlborough MA said a tree trimmer toppled over, hit a home and landed on its back deck Tuesday afternoon.

October 2014

• Lifting tree with Aerial lift

Electrical

July 2014

• Officials said a Dallas tree trimmer sustained burns to the hands while working in the area and fell into the power lines.

July 2014

• Scottsboro police said the man was trimming a tree on Highway 79 near the Marshall County Line when a limb fell on a live wire, sending the electrical current through the limb and the trimmer's chainsaw.

• The man was on a ladder at the time, officials said, and the current knocked him off the ladder.

• He was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital. His condition has not yet been released

June 2014

• Florida• Life Flighted from

shock while tree trimming

November 2014

• Crane over Power line.

December 2014

• Line clearance

October 2014

• Powerlines• Aluminum ladder

September 2014

• NAPLES, FL• Authorities say two men died

after being electrocuted while they were trimming palm trees in southwest Florida.

• Batten says the men were working on a 30-foot aluminum ladder that slipped and hit a live power line.

September 2014

• Kansas tree trimmer, lucky to be alive. “I really could’ve died if it weren’t for the guy across the street and the others who ran to help me,” Harris told FOX 4’s Robert Townsend Monday.

• No metal poles. They make fiberglass.

June 2014

• Parkville MO police say the man's buckstrap used to hold him in got loose from him. A metal piece on that strap hit a live wire with 7,600 volts going through it.

• The 34-year-old tree trimmer died instantly while still strapped to the limbs up above.

June 2014

• 06/25/14: A man who was trimming a tree in Minnetonka MN was left hanging unconscious in his safety harness after a 20-second electrical shock despite the efforts if his coworkers and

employer.

January 2015

• Brian Johnson, 27, was working with a crew to cut down trees to make room for power lines near Whelchel Road in Dahlonega GA when he was struck and killed by a tree.

September 2014

• Kansas• “I really could’ve died if it

weren’t for the guy across the street and the others who ran to help me,” Harris told FOX 4’s Robert Townsend Monday.

• Metal Pole hit powerline,

December 2014

• Line Clearing

November 2014

• 27,000 volt line

August 2014

August 2014

August 2014

• Largo FL• I assumed (the workers) fell

out of the tree because they'd been out there all day," Hampton said. "I looked over there, and there was one man that was having convulsions and there was another that was on his face and he wasn't coherent

Two men hurt when their ladder contracted powerline

December 2014

• Lakeland FL• A 60-year-old Lakeland

man was killed Friday when a pole saw he was using to trim trees touched a live power line, electrocuting him, police said

• Use fiberglass extensions when electrical lines are present.

Fiberglass pole saw handle

Aluminum pole saw handle

February 2015

• 7200 volts. • Blew lift tire off 60

feet

October 2014

• Port Austin MI• An employee told officials

the branch then let loose, causing enough pressure to shake the boom side-to-side, throwing Andreski from the bucket, some 45 to 50 feet to the ground. 

October 2014

• Fort Lauderdale FL• Authorities said the victim

was trimming trees at 1131 SW 9th Ave. on Thursday afternoon when something malfunctioned, sending the bucket and the worker to the ground.

February 2015

• Pittsburg PA• Worker fell and

died from bucket truck during tree trimming.

January 2015

• The Columbia Fire Department successfully rescued a man who was shocked while trimming a tree approximately 55' in the air Saturday afternoon. 

Struck By

November 2014

• What issues would a rigger need to know?

October 2014

• Crack in maple tree, under bark

• 25 feet high.

November 2014

• Newer employee• Dropped tree

through shed• $6000 damage

October 2014

• Roanoke VA• Matthew Raymond Miller, 23,

was standing on the ground near a tree in the 1400 block of Greendale Drive when he was struck in the chest by a falling branch cut by another man, according to Blacksburg

police.

November 2014

• Crane tipped over.

October 2014

• Key Largo FL• Danny Tomas, the owner of

the company, was operating the crane, attempting to remove a large tree limb from the roof of a house on Dream Way in Largo, when the truck started to tip. Tomas jumped to safety and no one else on the ground suffered any injuries.

November 2014

• Cracked tree over a house

• Use a chain and strap to hold it?

Sep 2014

• Oklahoma• Initial reports

indicate that a tree trimmer was working in the area when he was hit by a car.

November 2014

• Anderson township, OH

• Wind blew tree over and hit tree trimmer

January 2015

• Porcupine in tree hole

August 2014

• 62 old tree trimmer was pinned from large branch that fell on him while he was in the bucket.

• Reading PA

August 2014

• Halliburton was struck by a tree at the Tuttle Educational State Forest in Lenoir. It happened as he was helping other forestry workers remove a tree that fell into a road.

• Officials say Halliburton was struck in the torso and pronounced dead on scene.

August 2014

• Cut tree trunk slide off truck during loading.

July 2014

• A PA tree service worker was killed Thursday afternoon when he was struck by a van in Mahanoy Township.

• Hoffman was in the roadway directing traffic and that he was employed by a contractor working in the area

• Any work on the highway should follow the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control

The trooper said there was a temporary need for traffic control at the time of the crash but did not elaborate.

December 2014

• Tactics?

December 2014

• Many devices are out there to move logs

December 2014

• Las Vegas NV• Upon arriving, firefighters

located a 25- to 30-foot palm tree in the yard of a single-story home, but hanging palm fronds shrouded the apparent victim, Williams said.

February 2015

• Monrovia CA• Tree trimmer

cutting palms rescued

January 2015

• Las Vegas • A tree trimmer died

this afternoon in a palm tree just blocks from where another trimmer died a few weeks ago.

Kristen Koch - Going rate for palms is approx $25 / palm here in Las Vegas. And that's a fully licensed insured company. Guys do 20-30+ per day each.

June 2014

• Connecticut• Tree trimming near

railroad• Amtrak Train hit

bucket truck• Trapped by

downed gates• Five hurt

December 2014

• Log can roll• No PPE

July 2014

• Porter TX• Tree trimmer leg

crushed by branch while in a tree.

• FD amputated leg to free him.

June 2014• Frank Cline was cutting trees

for Connecticut Light & Power project died after being hit by one of those trees in Meriden CT on Monday.

• Police say another worker had tied off the tree limb as a precaution, but it began swinging after he cut it and it struck Cline.

“I cannot believe that every time I needed you, you were there. You were there when no one else was. I love you and will never forget you. You have meant a lot to me as a brother but will always live on as a guardian angel for your family and for every one else you have met whose live you have touched”

November 2014

• Tree chip guard

November 2014

• Bakersfield CA• Palm tree rescue with a

possible back injury on.          • The initial responding engine

found a patient pinned by palm fronds 35-40 feet high in the tree.

• A coworker of the victim was under the patient supporting him.

Wood Chipper

Wood Chipper

• •All safety devices and controls, such as emergency shut-off devices, are tested and verified to be functioning properly before the chipper is used.

• •Workers are trained in safe work procedures, including operating wood chipper safety devices and safety controls. These procedures should be based on the manufacturer's recommendations for each machine.

• •At least two workers are in close contact with each other when operating the chipper.

• •Workers wear close-fitting clothing, gloves without cuffs, trousers without cuffs and skid-resistant foot wear. Clothing should be kept tucked in.

• •Worker's hands and feet remain outside the infeed hopper.

Wood Chipper

• Emergency stop button is on the side

• 2007 bandit 250xp. 140 hp cat.

September 2014

Wood Chipper

• Use of an arm can help prevent caught in accidents

September 2014

• Phoenix AZ• A tree surgeon was

decapitated after falling head first into an industrial wood chipper as his sons watched in horror. 

June 2014

• Florida• Temp worker

putting branches killed when pulled into wood chipper

December 2014

• Cracked wood chipper blade found during change out.

Chain Saws

October 2014

• One hand cutting.• Issues?

December 2014

• Fence ingrown in tree

April 2014

• A tree trimmer is recovering after he was rushed to a Pittsburgh hospital with a chain saw blade embedded in his neck.

• James Valentine was in a tree in Ross Township on Monday afternoon when he was struck in the neck by the saw.

• Another worker helped him down, and his co-workers left the saw in place to try to limit

the bleeding.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Personal protective equipment (PPE), for the head, ears, eyes, face, hands, and legs are designed to prevent or lessen the severity of injuries to tree trimmers.

Chainsaw SafetySafety Checks• Chain Brake• Chain Catch• Muffler Guard w/ Spark Arrester• Continuous Pressure Throttle• Trigger/Hand Guard

PPE• Hard Hat• Hearing Protection• Faceshield/Screen• Gloves• Ballistic Chaps• Cut Resistant Boots

Chain Saw Injury Locations

Notice how most injuries occur on the lower left leg and the left arm. Be sure to protect those areas well.

Chainsaw

• October 2014• “Better than having a

empl. gas up a hot saw...spill gas on muffler and burn up a almost new ms440 and did not have the brains to throw dirt on it or nothing....just let it BURN!!!!.....”

Head Protection Hard hats must be worn

when overhead hazards are present. The hard hats must comply with ANSI standards (Subpart I, ANSI Z89.1-1986, if purchased after July 5, 1994, or ANSI Z89.1-1969 if purchased before July 5, 1994). Check for an ANSI label inside the hat.

Hearing Protection

Requirements for hearing protection are found in 1910.95. Particular attention should be paid to monitoring the logging operation to determine the noise levels employees are exposed to. This will determine whether the employer is required to implement a hearing conservation program. Some basic elements of a hearing conservation plan are providing audiograms, training employees, and providing hearing protection in a variety of forms at no cost to the employee.

Eye and face protection must be worn where there is potential for injury to the eyes or face. The protective equipment must comply with ANSI standards (Subpart I, ANSI Z87.1-1989 if purchased after July 5, 1994, or ANSI Z87.1-1968 if purchased before July 5, 1994).

Logger type mesh screens are considered to be adequate eye and face protection for chain saw

operators.

Eye/Face Protection

Leg Protection Each employee who operates a chain

saw must wear leg protection constructed with cut-resistant material. The leg protection must extend from the upper thigh down to the boot top and adequately cover the

leg. · Leg protection is available in a

variety of forms, including chaps, logger pants, and leggings. The protective material also comes in a variety of forms including ballistic nylon, polyester, Kevlar, Engtek, etc.

· Underwriters Laboratories (UL) currently tests and labels leg protection which meets minimum cut resistance requirements. (Reference ASTM F1414-92a)

Foot ProtectionEmployers must assure that each

employee wears heavy duty logging boots that are waterproof or water repellant, and cover and provide support to the ankle. If the employee uses a chain saw, the footwear must be constructed with cut-resistant material that will protect against contact with a running chain saw. Calk soled boots are acceptable when they are required for the employee's

job.

· Underwriters Laboratories (UL) currently tests and labels foot protection which meets minimum cut resistance requirements. (Reference ASTM F1818-97)

Hand Protection

Employees who handle wire rope are required to wear hand protection that protects against puncture wounds, cuts, and lacerations.

Chain Saw• The chain saw is one of

the most efficient, productive, and dangerous portable power tools used in any industry. If you learn to operate it properly and maintain the saw in good working condition, you will avoid injury as well as be more productive.

Parts of a Chain Saw

Safe Operation of a Chain Saw

Other

October 2014

QUESTIONS???