Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313586778 - U.S. Forest Service

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco Ro

Inspection Nr: 313586778

Report ID: 0935000

Date Opened: 07/22/2009

Site Address:
U.S. Forest Service
Backbone Helibase
Willow Creek, CA 95573

Mailing Address:
1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 95501

Union Status: Union

SIC:0851

NAICS: 115310/Support Activities for Forestry

Inspection Type: Accident

Scope: Complete

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership:

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 07/24/2009

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 01/05/2018

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Accident	101781201

Violation Summary
Violations/Penalties	Serious	Willful	Repeat	Other	Unclass	Total
Initial Violations	1	1				2
Current Violations	1	1				2
Initial Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0
Current Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0
FTA Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0

Violation Items
#	Citation ID	Citaton Type	Standard Cited	Issuance Date	Abatement Due Date	Current Penalty	Initial Penalty	FTA Penalty	Contest	Latest Event	Note
1.	01001	Serious	19600008 A	10/02/2009	06/01/2010	$0	$0	$0		I - Informal Settlement
2.	02001	Willful	19600029 D	10/02/2009	11/20/2009	$0	$0	$0		-

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 201781259

Event: 07/21/2009

Firefighter Is Killed in Fall During Helicopter Training

On July 21, 2009, Employee #1 was a firefighter participating in rappel proficiency training at the Backbone Helibase in Willow Creek. He stepped onto the skid of the helicopter in preparation for rappelling. There was an improper connection of the J-Hook to Employee #1's harness Tri-link. A rubber O-ring is all that connected the two pieces of hardware. When Employee #1 leaned back to begin his rappel, the rubber O-ring broke, severing Employee #1's connection to the J-Hook on the Ski-Genie. Employee #1 fell 200 ft to the ground and was killed.

Keywords: FIREFIGHTER, HELICOPTER, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, RAPPELLING

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	313586778			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.