Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1468340.015 - Tom'S Tree Service Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Saint Louis Area Office

Investigation Summary

On March 5, 2020, an employee was working for a tree trimming service. In addition to other services, this nonunion company trimmed trees for electric utilities. The employee was trimming trees near power lines for the purpose of line clearance. He was working from a 2019 TEREX aerial lift mounted on a 2018 Freightliner truck. The maximum reach of the aerial lift was 70 feet (21.3 meters). The employee was using various tree trimming hand tools. Most of the firm's aerial lift work was performed from a bucket. The employee was working some 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to 7.6 meters) above the ground. A detached tree branch had become wedged between the upper and lower sections of the boom. The tree limb was approximately 8 in. in diameter and approximately 8 feet long (200 mm in diameter and 2.4 meters long). The employee tried to move the aerial lift bucket back and forth to free the branch. This did not work. When he tried to reposition the lift's boom arms, the branch broke. The boom was sprung free. The employee and the bucket's internal liner were catapulted out of the bucket. The employee was wearing a personal fall arrest system (PFAS), a full body harness with lanyard. He had not, however, donned the personal fall arrest harness properly, as he had not engaged either leg strap. Although the employee had not donned his harness properly, it still kept him from falling all the way to the ground. He fell the approximate 2 feet (0.6 meters) his lanyard allowed. He was lowered to the ground by onsite personnel using the bucket truck's lowering controls. The employee was feeling fine, but he had a tightness in his hip. He was transported at about 1:00 p.m. to a hospital for evaluation. At about 5:00 p.m. he was given an MRI, which showed a fracture in his hip. After an evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon, it was determined that the employee needed surgery. He was admitted to the hospital at about 6:00 p.m. He was hospitalized to treat his broken hip.

Keywords: Aerial Lift, Aerial Lift Controls, Aerial Truck, Boom, Broken Bone, Bucket , Caught Between, Caught In, E GI II (no ppe), Ejected, Electrical, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Fracture, Harness, Hazard Assessment, Hip, Lanyard, Line Clearance, Training, Tree Limb, Tree Trimming, Work at Elevation