Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308415173 - Dean Logging Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Medford

Investigation Summary

On January 11, 2005, Employee #1, a member of a rigging crew at Dean Logging, Inc., was working with three other members of the rigging crew on the ground, as well as a chaser, who had radio control of the motorized carriage, and a yarder engineer, who operated the skyline. Two members of the rigging crew started at the landing, and two, including Employee #1, went to walk in from the bottom. The two who started at the landing set a turn of logs and sent it to the landing. Then they walked down to where they had left off the previous day of work. When the turn of logs reached the landing, the chaser did not stop the drop line before it reached the carriage, and it broke at the hook. The carriage needed to be lowered for the hook to be reattached. The yarder engineer radioed the crew, "Is everyone in the clear?" to warn that he was going to lower the skyline. The two loggers walking down from the landing and one of the two loggers working from the bottom acknowledged that it was okay, and the yarder engineer lowered the skyline. As he did, Employee #1 walked under the skyline and was struck by it. He was knocked unconscious and received upper body fractures. Employee #1 was carried out of the brush by his coworkers and transported to an awaiting ambulance. He was transported to a hospital in Roseburg, Oregon, where he was listed in serious condition.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WIRE ROPE, LOGGER, STRUCK BY, LOGGING, COMMUNICATION