Abstract: At approximately 10:00 a.m. on December 14, 2018, an employee was working as a laborer 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 employee started his ascent into a tree by securing a rope to a branch and then climbing up. He made it up to the tree branch and used his arms to pull himself up 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 hospitalized. The employer notified DOSH at 1:05 p.m. that same day, meeting the reporting 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 leader 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).