UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: On August 27, 2012, Employee #1 was subcontracted to remove a tree. The tree was approximately 60 ft tall. He was the owner of his company and asked a friend to help him with the job. They were to split the money for the job. Employee #1 borrowed two chainsaws from the contractor for him and his friend. They had the blades of the chainsaw sharpened. There was a ladder, which they were going to use, but it was not tall enough to reach the tree height where Employee #1 wanted to make the first cut. They decided to borrow a much taller ladder, which was at a height of 40 ft. Employee #1 climbed to the very top of the ladder. He then stepped from the ladder and onto a tree branch. Employee #1 placed each of his feet on separate branches for stability. He made a sideway V cut in a 13.5 ft top section of the tree, which he wanted to remove first and fall to the ground. He then made his cut on the other side straight across for the section to fall. The top section started falling in the direction where he wanted it to go; however, the section suddenly started falling back in the opposite direction and towards him. A rope that he had wrapped around the tree, which he used to secure him to the tree, slipped. Employee #1 fell approximately 40 ft and struck the ground. He sustained fractures over various areas of his body and blunt force trauma in the fall. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where he later died.