Logging injury alert: choker setter struck by log when hung up turn comes free

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 19-year-old choker setter was struck by a log after a turn hung up on a stump came loose. The victim had about three months logging experience. During the previous two weeks he had been receiving on-the-job training as a rigging slinger. On the day of the incident there were three employees at the cable logging site: the choker setter, hooktender, and yarder (yoader) operator. The choker setter and hooktender sent a turn to the landing. After about 200 feet the turn got hung up on a stump. Attempting to free the turn, the choker setter ran the carriage a short ways downhill and then back uphill again. The turn did not come free. The choker setter walked up to the turn. He then clamped the skyline brake to the skyline and tight lined the skyline. This caused the lines to increase the lift tension on the choked logs. As the skyline and carriage picked up the turn, the end of the choked log swung uphill towards the choker setter hitting the front of his body and arms, knocking him down. When the choker setter was struck, he was about 28 feet to the side of the stump where the turn had hung up. He was taken to a hospital where he was kept overnight for observation. He had only minor injuries. Safety Requirements: 1. The employer must provide safety training for each employee. See WAC 296-54-507(1). 2. Employees must be in the clear of logs, root wads, chunks, hazardous trees, rolling material and rigging before the go-ahead signal is given and must stay in the clear until all rigging movement has stopped. See WAC 296-54-577(4). 3. Employees must move away from the turn so as to be above or behind the turn and in the clear. They must remain on their feet and face the turn before the go-ahead signal is given. See WAC 296-54-577(5). 4. All employees must remain away from rigging that is stopped at a hang up, until the rigging has been slacked to reduce the hazard. See WAC 296-54-577(6). Recommended Safe Practices: 1. Have an experienced person directly supervise the rigging crew. 2. When an upset condition occurs, have the most experienced person take charge to clear the condition. 3. Rigging crew should be in the clear further than the swing radius of the longest log in the turn. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Forestry Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Safety Management Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Exposure-levels Injuries Injury-prevention Logging-workers Risk-factors Safety-measures Safety-practices Surveillance-programs Training
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044330
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 92-06-2013, 2013 Nov; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Logging injury alert: choker setter struck by log when hung up turn comes free
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1ab70746d62e10aaf488c156e6335ce9ad7f9ede8c887ff7caa494e02187d98b20b7e9ae696a4788ec3c8902dd2286ec8555a61c814538c660e780694f51447b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200058/cdc_200058_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 66.59 KB ]