Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.22(b): The employer did not ensure that each walking-working surface could support the maximum intended load for that surface. JOBSITE: The employer did not ensure prior to allowing an employee to climb approximately 40 feet up of a black birch tree to perform tree cutting operations that the tree, whose bottom portions were severely rotted was able to sustain and support loads of the employee's weight and the dropping/swinging force of the roped pieces of tree trunk. On or about April 14, 2018, while the employee was trying to manually lower a roped piece of large tree trunk, the rotted portions of the tree were unable to withstand the loads of the employee's weight and the dropping/swinging force of the tree trunk, and the tree fell to the ground along with the employee. The employee sustained fatal injuries from the incident.