Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300059169 - Urban Forestry Management

Inspection Information - Office: Omaha Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, the owner of a tree trimming company, was removing a 10 ft long by 60 in. diameter cottonwood log from a private residence. A friend, who also owned a tree-removal company, had asked for Employee #1's help because he did not have the proper equipment for the task. Employee #1 was operating a 1967 Prentice loader, serial #GOBC 7089, mounted on the rear of a 1985 Ford 7000 flatbed truck. He had bought the truck approximately six weeks before the accident and had personally mounted the loader about three weeks after purchasing it. Employee #1 was situated in an approximately 12 ft high unguarded and unbelted seat mounted on top of the loader. He had begun lifting the tree section and was moving it to the bed of the friend's truck, approximately 15 ft away, when the stress caused the frame of the flatbed to snap. Employee #1 was thrown to the ground and the tree section landed on top of him. He sustained crushing injuries and died 16 days later. Subsequent investigation showed that the loader was equipped with a 20 ft long knuckle boom that bent in the middle and a 360 degree swiveling neck, allowing the operator to pick up and move objects anywhere within 20 ft of the truck. Employee #1 had picked up the log at about the 10 o'clock position (facing the rear of the truck) and was attempting to move it to the friend's vehicle at the 12 o'clock position. As Employee #1 extended the boom, the stress increased on the frame until it failed. Apparently, Employee #1 failed to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for mounting a loader on the rear section of a flatbed truck. A manufacturer's representative investigated the installation of the loader and concluded that it had been mounted backwards, which increased the stress placed on the frame of the flatbed to which it was attached. In addition, the truck did not meet the manufacturer's recommendations for frame strength and gross vehicle weight (gvw). The manufacturer suggested the use of a truck with a minimum of 32,000 lb gvw and a double frame design; the truck involved in the accident was rated at 28,000 gvw and had a single frame. Based on the information provided by the representative from Blount, Inc., which had purchased Prentice, the frame of the Ford truck had also been modified at some point. The frame section starting from the first set of rear wheels had been added. According to the Blount representative, the manufacturer would not make a modification of this type because it decreased the strength of the frame. In combination, the improper loader mounting and the improper truck selection, directly led to the failure of the truck frame while lifting the tree section.

Keywords: WORK RULES, OVERLOADED, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, TREE SECTION, LOADER, STRUCK BY, TRUCK BOOM, FALLING OBJECT, FLATBED TRUCK, UNSTABLE POSITION