Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1503055.015 - The F. A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At 10:00 a.m. on November 18, 2020, Employee #1 was moving a felled tree branch from the drop zone and inserting the branch into a chipper machine. Employee #2 was attaching the rope to the next tree branch to be removed from the tree. The rope being used to lower the felled branches from thfe tree to the drop zone became entangled in the tree branch that was being chipped by a wood chipper machine. When the rope became entangled in the internal chipper, the rope became taught, at which time it knocked Employee #1 to the ground and caused a tree branch to strike Employee #2 in the arm. Employee #1 was hospitalized to treat multiple broken bones, bruises, lacerations, and bruised internal organs. Employee #2 sustained a fractured right forearm and was treated without hospitalization.

Keywords: Arm, Broken Bone, Chipper, Entangled, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Forearm, Fracture, Internal Injuries, Laceration, Rope, Struck By, Tree Branch, Tree Felling, Wood Chipper