Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1527884.015 - State Of California - Department Of Transportation

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 8:15 a.m. on April 15, 2021, an employee was working for a state department of transportation. The employee was an Equipment Operator II, stationed in Needles, California. He was a heavy equipment operator. He was at a site with other workers. He was standing on a slope, approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) down the slope from where a tree crew was trimming tree branches. The tree crew was at the top of the slope, cutting branches off a tree located next to a major freeway. The employee was at the site to remove downed tree branches from underneath the trees. He had been at this location for about a week, helping the tree crew from San Bernardino trim the trees alongside a freeway. The employee had approximately 15 years' experience as a tree worker working in Orange County for Cal Trans before he became an Equipment Operator. In this incident, as the employee was down the slope from the tree workers, a tree branch suddenly came rolling down the slope and struck the employee in his right shoulder. The suffered a dislocated right shoulder and dislocated left knee. He was airlifted to a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was hospitalized for approximately two weeks. After that, he was at a rehabilitation center for two months.

Keywords: Emergency Response, Equipment Operator, Knee, Position, Rolled, Shoulder, Slope, Sloping, Struck By, Tree, Tree Branch, Tree Trimming, Unsafe Position