Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18063081 - Riendeau Lumbering

Inspection Information - Office: Augusta Area Office

Investigation Summary

A father had been training his 18-year-old son, Employee #1, to be a chopper and had had him under close supervision for about six weeks. The father had warned Employee #1 about trees falling into hung trees and the potential for a falling tree to kick back if it hit a hung tree. The father left the son for about 5 to 10 minutes to check a boundary and returned to find Employee #1 under a 14 in. diameter maple tree, dead of severe chest injuries. The father surmises that Employee #1 had used a wedge to prevent the maple tree from hitting a windblown hung tree but apparently either cut too much of the tree or the tree broke off at some point while being felled. The falling maple tree apparently struck the hung tree and the butt of the maple kicked back and struck Employee #1, driving him to the ground.

Keywords: CHEST, KICK BACK, TREE FELLING, LODGED TREE, CRUSHED, INEXPERIENCE, TREE, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, LOGGING