UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At approximately 10:00 a.m. on December 14, 2018, an employee was working as a l aborer for a landscaping service. He was working at a private residence. Workers were trimming trees in the backyard of the residence. To climb the trees, they were using climbing gear consisting of a harness, rope, and tie-off lines. The e mployee started his ascent into a tree by securing a rope to a branch and then c limbing up. He made it up to the tree branch and used his arms to pull himself u p onto it, when the branch broke at the crotch. The employee fell approximately 10 feet (3.0 meters), hitting a chain-link fence before hitting the ground. The employee was treated at a hospital for a fracture of his L1 vertebra. He was hos pitalized. The employer notified DOSH at 1:05 p.m. that same day, meeting the re porting requirements. DOSH arrived at the site to open an inspection on March 18 , 2019. The employee used a tie-in point that was not on or around the main lead er or a major upright branch of the tree. Had he used a more appropriate tie-in point, he most likely would have prevented the accident. The employer was to be issued a SAR for T8 3427(a)(4).