Logging Injury Alert: Pre-Commercial Thinning Foreman Injured by Chainsaw

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  In November 2019, a foreman at a pre-commercial thinning operation was cutting a four-inch western hemlock when his saw's chain got fouled in the tree's branches. He throttled up on the saw while pulling it back to try to release it. When the saw broke free from the branches, the tip of the saw came back and hit him on his left leg by his knee. A crew member administered first aid then drove the foreman to town where he got medical attention. He received 11 stitches and was off work for several weeks. Investigators found that the damaged condition of the foreman's chaps may have contributed to his injury. The rest of the crew had brand new chaps on site, but the foreman chose not to wear them. Safety Requirements: Leg protection must be maintained in serviceable condition. Chain saws must be operated and adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Saw pinching and subsequent chain saw kickback must be prevented by using wedges, levers, guidelines, and saw placement, or by undercutting. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Forestry Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Chain Saws Logging Industry Safety Measures Tree Trimmers
• 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:20066464
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 92-32-2020, 2020 Feb; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Logging injury alert: pre-commercial thinning foreman injured by chainsaw
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:56e263284769321663fa70ae286a826e1307a8ec3654570c3d8cd554de0fbd558cd16b74eeb1fa987588a8f186598cf01e83c6d05df83af6a92bcd5d2455d476
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230960/cdc_230960_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 344.36 KB ]