Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. Please be aware that the information shown may change, e.g. violations may be added or deleted. For open cases, in which a citation has been issued, the citation information may not be available for 5 days following receipt by the employer for Federal inspections or for 30 days following receipt by the employer for State inspections.

Inspection: 1559119.015 - Superior Tree Service Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:20 a.m. on October 20, 2021, an employee was using a chainsaw to cut trees at a private residence for a commercial tree service. The employee was working approximately 46 feet up in a tree cutting an upper section which he was tied to. The tree rigging system the employee was using is known as a negative blocking rigging system, which is also known as butt-hitching or blocking wood. This type of rigging system is possibly one of the most complex of all tree working situations and can involve a vast range of knowledge on subjects such as physics, wood properties, equipment ratings, rope strengths and good working communications between a wide range of staff members. This technique also adds in variables that are hard to account for and the employee needs to be aware of the significant forces generated in the rigging on various components throughout the system. In this case, the employee did not take into account the those forces generated by the cut material on the tree trunk as the material free falls before impacting the anchor point below the load. The free fall multiplies forces greatly; a 100-pound piece of wood can easily generate 1,000 pounds of force after only a short free fall. As a result, the employee was killed when the tree trunk, where the rigging system was attached, snapped from the strain imposed on it by the cut tree section being lowered. Emergency Medical Services was called and tried to revive the employee, who was on the ground with serious injuries to his left arm. The Homeowner reported that the employee was moaning when he came out of his home to see what had happened and before EMS arrived. Multiple coworkers witnessed the accident. The employer failed to conduct a job briefing, failed to provide appropriate personal protective equipment, and failed to have a qualified tree worker onsite.

Keywords: Abrasion, Arm, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Chain Saw, Communication, Contusion, Cutting, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Falling Object, Fracture, Head, Heat Injury Prevention Program, Inexperience, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Rigging, Rope, Struck Against, Struck By, Training, Tree, Tree Care, Tree Felling, Tree Limb, Tree Section