Inspection Detail

Inspection: 102041399 - White Sands Forest Products

Inspection Information - Office: State Of New Mexico Environment Department Occupational Health & Safety Bureau

Investigation Summary

A logging crew of four employees was skidding logs up a hill with a slope of approximately 45 percent. They were using a Link Belt #98 crane as a cable yarder, with a skyline to lift the logs and a mainline to pull the logs uphill. Employee #1 was setting chokers on one side of the 15 ft wide cleared corridor, and a coworker was setting chokers on the other side. A radio bug was used to signal the crane operator. Employee #1 signaled to have his logs skidded up the corridor. The crane operator sent down a message for him to clear the area for the lift. When the lift was complete, the crane operator signaled Employee #1 but received no answer. The message was sent two more times but Employee #1 did not signal or show up. The second choker setter found Employee #1 lying on the ground, bleeding from his head. He was killed. Evidence at the scene indicated that Employee #1 had not gotten clear when signaled to do so, and that a log had caught on its own stump, raised up, swung over, and struck him on the left side.

Keywords: HEAD, TREE SKIDDING, LOG, WORK RULES, CHOKER SETTER, SKIDDER, STRUCK BY, LOGGING