Abstract: On July 26, 2003, Employee #1 was assigned to cut the top branches from a palm tree. The tree was between 20 to 30 feet in height. Employee #1 was wearing a safety saddle, safety belt, and climbing spikes. He climbed the tree using the equipment, then cut and cleaned the branches off the top. He was prepared to climb down the tree by using a rope which he had placed over the top portion of the tree, and knotted it to use it for repelling down the tree. Just as he started to descend the tree, he noticed that two branches were hanging and had not been cut off. He took his chain saw, turned it on and cut one branch. When he attempted to cut the other branch with the chain saw, he could not reach it to make a complete cut, so he turned off the chain saw and tried to pull the branch with his hand. He fell from the tree and sustained a fractured back, two fractured teeth, and was hospitalized at Northridge Hospital for four days.