Abstract: At 10:00 a.m. on October 16, 2019, an employee was working as the lead groundskeeper for a charter high school. He was using a Stihl HTA 85 telescopic pole pruner approximately 12 feet (3.7 meters) in length to prune the fronds from a palm tree that was between 15 and 20 feet (4.6 and 6.1 meters) in height. A palm frond fell toward the saw and slid down the handle. A long thorn punctured the employee's left arm. The thorn broke off, and a small section of the thorn tip became lodged in the wound. The employee was hospitalized. DOSH was notified of the injury by the employer at 2:00 p.m. on that same day. This complied with reporting requirements. DOSH arrived at the site on January 16, 2020, to investigate. Insufficient clothing and/or PPE for the task was a factor in the accident. A Serious Accident Related citation was issued for T8 CCR 3383(a), puncture and lodging of a foreign object (palm tree thorn).