Abstract: At approximately 9:20 a.m. on March 2, at township 4N, range 2W, section 21 in Scappose, OR, a 3/4 in. mainline broke while it was pulling a tree-length log. Employee #1 and the other chaser was standing between the loader and the yarder when the mainline broke. An approximately 30 ft length of the 3/4 in. mainline flew through the air and struck the front of the yarder, then ricocheted off the equipment and struck Employee #1, who was standing closet to the yarder, on the left thigh, groin area, abdomen, and left arm. He was thrown backwards 5 feet. Employee #1 sustained bruises and minor lacerations, and the tip of his left thumb was fractured. When the hooktender whistled for the yarder to pull in the log, it became caught behind a stump. The hooktender then whistled to let off and then signaled for an immediate reverse. This created a snapping action to the mainline and it broke. The hooktender admits that he should have waited a couple of seconds to give the return whistle and Employee #1 admits that he should have been sheltered behind the loader or the yarder while waiting for that turn.