Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1536810.015 - Hadden Landscape, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Lauderdale Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:50 a.m. on June 16, 2021, an employee was working as a foreman for a landscaping service. He and a coworker were at a professional football team stadium. They were relocating trees to prepare the stadium for a Formula One car race. The coworker was operating a John Deere model 544L wheel loader, equipped a tree boom, to move the trees. The employee had placed a steel rod through a tree, with 18 inches (460 millimeters) of rod protruding from the tree at each end. He had placed nylon rigging straps around the ends of the rod. Now he was attaching the nylon straps around the top portion of the tree. To reach the treetop, he stood on a flat section on the wheel loader. The flat section was between the tree boom and the cab of the loader. The coworker began moving the loader to get the employee closer to the tree. The ground was uneven, and the wheel loader shifted to the side when it went over a mound of dirt. The coworker was forced to move from his seat. In the process, he inadvertently pushed against one of the equipment controls, causing the tree boom to move in the direction of the cab. The employee was still standing between the tree boom and the cab. The tree boom struck and pinned the employee against the cab of the loader. He was crushed and killed. The company's policy was for employees to access the treetops troughh the use of an A-frame ladder for smaller trees and an extension ladder for larger trees.

Keywords: Boom, Caught Between, Control Lever, Crushed, Equipment Operator, Ladder, Landscaper, Landscaping, Pinned, Riding on Equipment, Rigging, Tractor, Training, Tree, Uneven Ground, Wheel Loader