Abstract: On May 1, 2003, Employee #1, an arborist and crew leader, and his crew of two others were removing and pruning trees. Employee #1 climbed an oak tree to cut a limb. He was secured by his climbing rope that was secured to his belt and a point above his work area. He also had one end of a lanyard attached to his belt; however, the other end lanyard was not secured to an anchorage point. Employee #1 cut the limb using a chain saw. When the limb came loose, the motion apparently caused the employee to sway or swing, and the chain saw severed his climbing rope which was his sole means of fall protection. With no fall protection, Employee #1 fell approximately 30 to 35 feet to the ground. Employee #1 was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a ruptured aorta, ruptured lung, fractured spleen, and other injuries. He died from his injuries.