Inspection Detail

Inspection: 810361.015 - Zuniga Tree Service

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on January 3, 2013, Employee #1 and Employee #2 were working on a tree trimming job trimming Mexican Fan Palm trees, approximately 45 to 60 feet tall. They used a commercial Ford truck body with a Holan insulated aerial device, commonly called a bucket truck to reach the parts needing trimmed. Employee #1 was working from the bucket and Employee #2 was working near the truck on the ground. Employee #1 was secured to the lifting arm by a climber's saddle and lanyard. The lanyard was attached to a D-Ring on the side of his climbing saddle and the anchor point on the lifting arm. The lift arm bucket was not high enough to reach the portion of the tree needing trimmed. Employee #1 climbed to the edge of the bucket and belted to the tree and did not disconnect the lanyard at the side of his saddle that was anchored to the lift arm. Witnesses reported hearing screams from Employee #1 and saw him suspended in mid-air between the trunk of the tree and the aerial lift arm. The aerial lift had pulled away from the tree, pulling Employee #1 off of the bucket rim. Employee #1 was suspended by his climbers saddle anchored to the aerial lift and his positioning belt was still wrapped around the tree. Employee #1 was approximately 40 to 50 feet above the ground. The aerial lift arm was leaning away from the tree and the trunk of the tree was preventing the aerial lift arm from falling to the ground. The tree trunk was bowed in an arc toward the lift arm. Employee #2 jumped onto the control deck of the truck and was working the controls in an attempt to bring Employee #1 down. The trunk of the tree snapped under the pull of the lift arm, approximately 20 feet above the ground. The trunk section, approximately 40 feet long, fell to the ground faster than the lift arm. Before the tree trunk reached the ground, the lanyard of Employee #1 snapped as the weight of the tree trunk bore upon it. Employee #1 fell to the ground with a portion of the tree trunk across his chest. The tree trunk also fell across the control deck of the truck, striking Employee #2, knocking him to the ground. Employee #1 suffered a broken arm, ribs, right shoulder and liver damage and was hospitalized. Employee #1 sustained injuries to his head and neck and was killed.

Keywords: Aerial Lift, Agriculture, Agriculture Machinery/Vehicle, Crushing, Elevated Work Platform, Fall, Falling Object, Struck By, Tree Trimming