Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1227582.015 - Menominee Tribal Enterprises

Inspection Information - Office: Appleton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:10 p.m. on April 17, 2017, an employee was measuring the length of a log as it travelled along the small bull chain log haul to determine if it needed to be cut before it was sent to the sawyer. The employee walked to the far end of the log and attached a tape measure and walked back. The employee returned, fell approximately 49 inches through an opening in the decking, and landed on a hydraulic cylinder which moves a metal push bar causing logs to move to the deck conveyors from the small bull chain. The employee sustained four fractured ribs and a fractured sternum. The conveyor was equipped with angled deck conveyors on both sides which were loaded with logs to feed the left and right Head Rigs. Wood boards approximately 2 inches by 6 inches were installed between the chains of the deck conveyors for employees to walk on. The platforms were not fully decked, leaving three floor openings on either side of the small bull chain conveyor. The openings between the chains that were not decked were approximately 40 inches by 50 inches. The employee fell because either a board gave out or the employee was standing on the chain of the deck conveyor when it was activated by the Head Sawyer. A board was noted as being down by the injured employee at the time of the fall. The injured employee was able to pull himself out of the opening. There were no witnesses to the accident.

Keywords: Elevated Work Platform, Fall, Floor Opening, Fracture, Rib, Sawmill, Struck Against