Logging Injury Alert: Timber Cutter Severely Injured When Struck by Snag

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  On January 7, 2014, a 56-year-old timber cutter was severely injured when he was struck by the top of a falling snag. Two cutters, each with over 20 years' experience, were working at a jobsite. One of these cutters, the victim, was preparing to cut a tree. Working downhill from the victim, the other cutter felled a 59 foot 6 inch tall cedar tree. As this tree was falling, it fell several feet uphill from the cutter's intended direction and hit a dead alder snag, knocking it over. Part of the top of the snag broke off as the snag was falling and struck the victim on his head. He suffered a severe traumatic, disabling brain injury. The incident investigator determined that the two cutters were working 81 feet from each other, less than the required minimum two tree lengths, which in this incident would have been 120 feet. Safety Requirements - During cutting operations: The employer must assign work areas so that the distance between work areas is at least two tree lengths of the trees being felled. See WAC 296-54-539(1)(b). Recommended Safe Practices: Safe falling means planning ahead. Ensure that all workers are clear of the hazardous area before falling begins. Poor work practices can lead to injuries. Your safety and that of other crew members depends on decisions that you make about how you do your work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Forestry Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Falling Objects Forestry Workers Injuries Logging Industry Logging Workers Safety Measures Safety Practices Work Practices
• 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:20060990
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 92-11-2014, 2014 Aug; :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: timber cutter severely injured when struck by snag
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b81d799b5d71714fe5d5320a5ba4d497a8c5fd5d6cdabfad8490539b6c341bad23d1bab40c240660fbd69eb58458b11b6afb47b065a7028b77f4293698301eb6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224702/cdc_224702_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 686.34 KB ]