Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305097644 - Bill Woods Dba Woods Logging

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Winston-Salem

Investigation Summary

On June 24, 2002 employees were doing logging operations approximately one half mile off a highway on an electric company right of way. Employee #1 was felling trees with a chain saw, and staying behind at the cutting site. A coworker operated the skidder, dragging the logs out of the woods to the staging deck area to be later cut into lengths. When the coworker returned to the felling trees area where Employee #1 was cutting the coworker could not see him. The coworker called out for Employee #1 and received no response. The coworker started looking around for Employee #1 and found him in a gully on the side of the hill near a freshly cut large oak stump. Employee #1's hard hat and chain saw was approximately 5 ft away from him and to the right in laurels. Employee #1 was lying on his right side with his head facing downhill. Employee #1 had just finished using the chain saw to cut the oak tree. When the coworker found Employee #1 he turned him around with his head facing up hill. The coworker checked the Employee #1's breathing and pulse with no response. The coworker left employee to call emergency services. On the way out of the site the coworker told another employee that something was wrong with Employee #1 and for the other employee to go and stay with him until emergency services arrived. The Emergency Medical Technicians found that the employee had suffered a heart attack while felling trees. The medical examiner stated on the death certificate that the immediate cause of death was hypoglycemia, arteriosclerosis, and cardiopulmonary disease, (massive heart attack),

Keywords: HEART ATTACK, LOGGING