Palm Tree Trimmer Dies from Asphyxia When Crushed by Palm Fronds - California

Details

• Journal Article:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Personal Author:
  Cierpich, Hank
• Corporate Authors:
  California Department of Public Health
• Description:
  On April 26, 2024, a 39-year-old male Hispanic tree trimmer was trimming a palm tree in the back yard of a private residence. The victim was not a certified or licensed tree trimmer. He climbed underneath the dead palm fronds and started cutting them from the tree. The skirt of dead palm fronds directly above him broke loose and slid down, compressing him against the tree trunk and suffocating him. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: Improper work practices (removing fronds from below); Not using the correct equipment to do the job safely; Homeowner hiring tree trimmers and supervisors that are not certified or licensed. RECOMMENDATIONS - The California FACE (CA/FACE) investigator determined that, in order to prevent similar incidents, landscapers and self-employed tree trimmers should ensure that: Palm tree trimming or removal is performed by workers trained and certified by organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Proper work procedures and equipment are used, such as an aerial lift and cutting fronds from above. Homeowners should: Hire tree trimmers who are certified by organizations such as ISA and have a tree and palm contractor's license (C-49). Local counties or cities should: Consider adopting regulations that require a permit for trimming residential palm trees.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Asphyxia Crush Injuries Mortality Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety
• Keywords:
  Region 9; Accident analysis; Fatalities; Tree trimmers; Landscape services workers; Safety practices; Injury prevention; Asphyxiation
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  All (0000) ; Hispanic (0009) ; Landscaping Services (0028)
• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 24CA001, 2025 Apr; :1-8
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  10.26616/NIOSHSFACE24CA001
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  California ; West Virginia ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Harrison, Robert ; Styles, Laura ; Shor, Glenn ; Furtkamp, Ryan
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071196
• Contact Point Address:
  California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, P-3, Richmond, CA 94804
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services - (NAICS 2022) ; 561730 - Landscaping Services - (NAICS 2022)
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7cd590a2d22d17e64bae07116bc29d0daaa0a03c0817efe24d4bb511850b6185fe8a7c3565bfb300c24717827bc1927683439d19ec28299abe8e8fe64d21d56a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258675/cdc_258675_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.07 MB ]