Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1208064.015 - 70630 - Spring Island Property Owners Association

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on February 1, 2017, an employee was working alone. The crew had worked on the site for several days clearing brush, debris and down trees damaged during the hurricane at a residential lot. The employee was cutting a dead pine tree approximately 70 feet that had a very small lean in it. The employee was operating a Stihl chainsaw, Model Number 290, Company Number LM68 to remove the tree. The top portion had blown down many years ago. When the employee started to cut the tree down, the upper portion of the tree fell in the opposite direction, while the middle and bottom portion fell towards the intended direction. The upper portion landed directly onto the employee's chest area. The employee suffered blunt force trauma to the head, neck, torso, anterior lower extremities. He also sustained injuries also to the anterior right arm, right forearm, anterior right thigh, left knee, and fractured left tibia and fibula. The employee was killed.

Keywords: Chain Saw, Falling Object, Struck By, Tree, Tree Felling