Inspection Detail

Inspection: 105208656 - Triple-O-Logging

Inspection Information - Office: Medford

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on December 18, 1989, Triple-O-Logging was ground skidding second growth timber into a stepped landing. A Koehring 466D hydraulic shovel with a Pierce boom and 54 in. grapples were in use. Logs were skidded to the landing, which was located approximately 12 ft above the road. Employee #1, the tractor operator, was to unhook the chokers, and the logs would then be set in the road to be limbed and bucked by the chaser. Before this process started, the shovel operator picked an incense cedar log, approximately 32 ft long by 12 in. in diameter, out of the landing chute, and began to swing to the left. He saw the chaser in the limbing area and swung back to the right to avoid passing a log over his head. As he swung toward the landing area, he saw Employee #1 getting off the John Deere 850 tractor to unhook the chokers. The swinging was stopped and the log moved to the right and came out from under the heel of the boom. The log rotated in the grapples and struck Employee #1, who was standing near the rear of the tractor. Apparently, Employee #1 was thrown into the side of the tractor and sustained severe head injuries. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and remained in a coma until he died on December 24, 1989.

Keywords: LOG, STRUCK BY, LOGGING