Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200923506 - Chain Saw Operator Is Struck and Killed by Tree Root Ball

Accident Summary Nr: 200923506 -- Report ID: 0355114 -- Event Date: 06/25/2012
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
316556356	06/25/2012	1794	238910	William A. Hazel, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 8:00 a.m. on June 25, 2012, an employee of a site development contractor was working at a planned single family home development site in Woodbridge, VA. He was removing trees from a wooded lot. The standing trees previously had been knocked down with track loaders and left on the ground with their root balls attached. The employee, a chain saw operator for the company, was using a chain saw to cut the root ball and stump from the trunk and crown of a tree. The root ball of the tree was approximately 11.5 feet across at the widest point. As he completed the cut, the root ball dropped down and twisted suddenly toward the employee, striking him. Prince William County Fire & Rescue responded and pronounced the employee dead on the scene.

Keywords: CHAIN SAW, CONSTRUCTION, TREE, STRUCK BY, LOGGING

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Single family or duplex dwelling		New project or new addition		Under $50,000			X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	316556356			Fatality	Other	Timber cutting and logging occupations	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Site clearing and grubbing Fatality Cause: Struck by falling object/projectile

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