Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309299725 - Jm Tree Service Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On November 7, 2007, an employee was a part to three-man crew engaged in light tree trimming activities at a private residential site. Coworker #1 was pruning trees approximately 30 feet from the incident location. The employee and Coworker #2 were picking up the cut branches, brush, and placing them adjacent to a Vermeer VC-1800 Wood Chipper, VC. The VC was capable of chipping logs up to 18 inches in diameter at a rate of 146 inches per minute. The VC was equipped with a factory-installed bar that acted both as a quick-stop and reversing feed control bar. This bar was located across the top and ran along each side of the feed table, parallel with the feed rollers. The quick-stop bar was readily accessible to the operator when the VC was fed from the side of the in-feed chute, as recommended by the manufacturer. The operator's manual specified not to feed the VC from directly behind the chute/feed tray area. The feed table provided an important measure of safety by increasing the distance between the feed rollers and the operator, and the tray was not to be climbed on to while the feed drums were operating or the engine was running. Coworker #2 stated that Employee #1 started up the VC while Coworker #2 went around the side of the house to pick up more brush. A few minutes later, as Coworker #2 returned to the VC, the employee was nowhere in sight. As he looked for him, Coworker #2 noticed a pair of shoes in the feed rollers entering the chipper intake throat. At that point, he immediately ran over to shut down the chipper and saw that employee's entire body had been fed through the VC and into the dump truck. There were no percipient witnesses as to the sequence of events that led to the employee's demise. The employee was officially pronounced dead at the scene.

Keywords: WOOD CHIPS, CAUGHT BY