Inspection Detail

Case Status: CLOSED

Inspection: 944841.015 - Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Inspection Nr: 944841.015

Report ID: 0625700

Date Opened: 10/28/2013

Site Address:
Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
201 Stinson Street
Benton, LA 71006

Mailing Address:
711 S 4th Ave, Mansfield, TX 76063

Union Status: NonUnion

SIC:

NAICS: 561730/Landscaping Services

Inspection Type: Fat/Cat

Scope: Partial

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership: Private

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 10/29/2013

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 05/01/2014

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Accident	857571

Case Status: CLOSED

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 53886.015

Event: 10/25/2013

Employee is caught in harness separation and is killed

At 8:47 a.m. on October 25, 2013, Employee #1 climbed a white oak tree in order to trim some limbs and branches with a chainsaw. When the employee cut the desired branch (Branch A), a branch on the other side of the tree which supported the rigging system (Branch B) unexpectedly broke off of the tree. Branch B, which weighed between 800 and 1,000 pounds, fell toward the employee and caught on the employee's climbing line. Branch B pulled downward with such force that it broke the harness in half, causing the top half of the harness to be pulled up to and around the employee's neck, and the bottom half to be pulled down around the employee's shins. Employee #1 sustained spinal column separation from the base of his skull and was killed.

Keywords: Caught In, Falling Object, Material Handling, Neck, PPE, Rigging, Skull, Spine, Struck By, Suspended Load, Tree Trimming

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	944841.015	28	M	Fatality		Forestry workers, except logging

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