Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1496602.015 - Penn Line Corporation Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Toledo Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 a.m. on October 6, 2020, an employee was tied off in a hackberry tree in order to perform tree trimming. The employee selected his own tie off point, a crotch approximately 30 feet up. The employee finished trimming the first tree and swung over to an adjacent tree to prune the branches off of the second tree. The employee used a buck strap while operating the chain saw, as a second means of being secured. The employee finished with the second tree, removed the buck strap, and let go of the second tree in order to begin his descent. The employee's tie off point was not strong enough to support the sudden shock load of the employee letting go of the second tree, and the branch peeled 13 inches before detaching from the trunk. The employee fell the full distance from there, bumping another branch on the way down before falling the rest of the way down the hill, approximately a 30-40 foot fall including the hill. The employee fractured his pelvis and was hospitalized.

Keywords: Chain Saw, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fracture, Hill, Pelvis, Strap, Tie-Down Strap, Tie-Off, Tree, Tree Branch, Tree Care, Tree Climber, Tree Climbing System, Tree Trimming