Inspection Detail

Inspection: 105765531 - C. Wayne Marlowe Logging

Inspection Information - Office: Virginia Central 0355100

Investigation Summary

At about 9 a.m., Employee #1 who was an independent timber cutter, arrived at the Paul C. Wright Sawmill with a truck load of logs. The truck was a 1969 Chevrolet and it was carrying 12 ft long logs, stacked 2 ft above the truck bed stanchions. The logs were secured in the middle with a chain and a chain log latched at the left side of the bed. Employee #2, a front-end loader operator who worked for Wright's Sawmill, was heading towards the truck to stabilize the logs. Before Employee #2 could get there, however, Employee #1 stepped from his truck and unlatched the chain log. At that point, an unstable log measuring 12 ft long by 13 in. in diameter, and weighing 400 lbs, fell from a height of 12 ft onto Employee #1, struck his head and killed him.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, LOG, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT