Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18864256 - G. G. Landscape, Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was a member of a landscaping crew that was planting trees in a residential back yard. They were using a farm tractor fitted with a front end loader and backhoe to move the felled trees and to lift a tree's rootball from the hole. A 3/8 in. chain was used with the tractor for this purpose. To turn the rootball, the chain was passed part way around it and hooked on the wire basket on the rootball; the other end of the chain was wrapped around one of the backhoe teeth. The 3 ft long tag end was held by Employee #1 while the backhoe operator swung the bucket horizontally a short distance to turn the ball. The chain had begun to slip off the tooth, but Employee #1 had cried out that there was still a slight strain on the bucket. The chain then slipped off the tooth and the bucket struck Employee #1 on the side of the head and knocked him unconscious for a few moments. He was held for a couple of days at a hospital and released with no apparent injury. The crew now wraps the chain on the tooth and hooks it back on itself and stands clear while the ball is being turned.

Keywords: CLEARANCE, HEAD, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, UNSECURED, AGRICULTURE, WORK RULES, STRUCK BY, BACKHOE BUCKET