Inspection Detail

Inspection: 108217209 - Harold Barclay Logging Company Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Bend

Investigation Summary

On October 9, 1990, Employee #1, of Barclay Logging Co. Inc., was engaged in building waterbars across tractor logging skid trails on a 32 percent slope with a D6C Caterpillar tractor, equipped with grapple and hydraulic dozer. It appears that he had completed making a waterbar in the skid trail some 200 feet above the haul road and had just backed out of the waterbar before dozing out the outlet and heading directly downhill. He apparently stopped the Cat, set the brakes, and shut the motor down with the transmission in neutral and the blade at ground level. It is believed that he either saw or smelled burning material emitting from the motor compartment and stopped to investigate. He was apparently standing on the right track with the side panel to the motor compartment open. It is believed that the Cat suddenly took off down the slope, throwing Employee #1 in front of the track and then running over him about 12 feet downhill from where he stopped the Cat (at the outlet of the waterbar). Tracks indicated that the Cat traveled up his left leg, abdomen, and right shoulder. The Cat continued downhill about 105 feet and hit a 12 inch pine tree and stopped; the blade cut halfway into the tree at ground level.

Keywords: ABDOMEN, SHOULDER, STEEP GRADE, TRACTOR, LOGGING, RUN OVER, SLOPE, LEG