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Victims Struck Out By Logging, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

To prevent injuries while felling trees:

• Loggers should attend the Kentucky Master Logger program for training and education regarding Occupational Safety and Health Administration logging standards and safety procedures.
• A “pre-job safety plan” should be developed for each job site and the plan should be reviewed prior to each day on the site.
• Proper notching and directional felling techniques should be utilized when felling trees.
• Develop a felling plan for each tree prior to felling that includes escape route, dead or hanging branches, vines, and nearby trees.

Landscaping Laborer Dies When Struck By Bouncing Log, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On March 5, 2004, a 57-year-old male laborer died when a 19 inch wide x 31 inch long log rolled down a mountain hitting him in his head and chest. The laborer had been employed for three days by a landscaping company contracted to clear the tree canopy over a gas line right-of-way. At approximately 2:20 pm, the company owner and five laborers were felling trees and bucking downed trees with chain saws and pole saws to remove the trees and limbs hanging over and growing in the gas line right-of-way. Two of the laborers were working topside at the …

Fatal Injuries Due To Logs Rolling Off Trucks At Sawmills, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

Logging is one of the most hazardous occupations in the nation as well as Kentucky. During 1994-1998, 45 fatalities in Kentucky were related to logging. Of those deaths, 7 were due to logs rolling off trucks at sawmills. The workers were all males and aged 31-64 years. Their experience varied from less than 1 year to more than 25 years. Below are brief case reports of three fatal events, followed by recommendations for prevention of similar events.

Knotted Log Rolls Off Truck And Kills Logger At Sawmill, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 42-year-old logger (the victim) was killed when he was struck by a log rolling off a loaded truck at a sawmill. At about 6:10 a.m., the victim and the truck driver arrived at the sawmill with a load of logs on the 20-foot flatbed truck. The stack of logs was rounded above the height of the 53-inch standards and secured by only one chain on the middle of the load. When they arrived, the victim got out of the truck and assisted the driver in backing the vehicle into place for unloading. The victim was in view of the …

Log Rolls Off Truck At Sawmill Killing Employee, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

In December 1998, a 31-year-old male (the victim) sawmill employee was killed when struck by a log that rolled off the top of the truck. He was preparing the truck to be unloaded when the log rolled off. While most of the logs received by the sawmill were delivered by independent loggers, the company did own one boom truck that their employees used to pick up timber. This was the truck the victim was driving the day of the incident. At the time of the incident, he was working alone.

When the victim returned to the sawmill, the logs were …

Log Rolls Off Truck At Sawmill Killing The Truck Driver, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

In November 1998, a 32-year-old male truck driver was killed when he was struck by a log that rolled off the top of his tractor trailer truck while preparing the truck for unloading at a sawmill complex. The victim accompanied by his father, had picked up a load of logs and transported them approximately 220 miles to the sawmill complex. He arrived at the mill with the logs secured by straps and stacked well above the standards of the trucks trailer. He drove to an unloading area. The victim and his father exited the truck and while the father waited …

Logger Fatally Injured By Falling Limb, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 60-year-old male logger (the victim) was killed when a falling limb struck him on the head. He had been involved in the logging industry all of his life and had been working for a small logging business for six days when the fatal incident occurred. At about 9 a.m. on the day of the incident, the owner of the company went with the victim to where he would be felling trees. The victim was not wearing any personal protective equipment (PPE). They talked for a few minutes then the owner left on the bulldozer. When he returned 20-25 minutes …

Logger Killed When Struck By Tree Limb During Hauling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 52-year-old male was killed on a logging site when a tree limb struck him in the back of the head. He had no previous logging experience and had been working with his friend who was a full-time logger for six days when the fatal incident occurred. The two men were working alone on the logging site and it was about 5:30 pm when they chained a load of three logs to the bulldozer to be dragged downhill to be loaded on a truck. A branch that was about 8 feet long and 4-5 inches in diameter stuck out of …

Farmer Killed When Tractor Turns Over, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 56-year-old farmer was killed when the tricycle tractor he was operating on a hillside overturned. He had been going up and down the hill to bring loads of dirt in the tractor's front-end loader in order to bury a calf. The hillside was relatively steep, and the ground was wet from recent rains. As he attempted to turn with the loader filled and raised, the tractor rolled over several times, crushing the victim. He died at the scene. In order to prevent similar incidents, the FACE investigator recommends:

• Older tractors should be retrofitted with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and …

Logger Killed During Tree Felling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 61-year-old male logger was killed when he was hit by the tree he was felling. On the day of the incident, he was working on a steep mountainside with his son and another logger. At approximately 10 am, the victim was felling a tree approximately 14 inches in diameter. As viewed from the bottom of the hill, a small tree about 6 inches in diameter stood about 6 feet to the right of the tree that was being felled. Lying on the ground directly behind those two vertical trees was a log 4-5 inches in diameter; it lay perpendicular …

Farmer Killed On Tractor During Logging Operations, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 21-year-old male was killed when he and his 19-year-old brother were engaged in logging activities their grandparents' farmland. They both had grown up helping with the family farm and for the last two years their primary source of income was cutting trees on the land to sell for firewood. After cutting down the trees, the normal routine was for the younger brother to operate the tractor to pull the trees to a clearing where they would be cut into pieces. Although the victim had experience operating tractors, he had never performed that particular task. Because there was no drawbar …

Logger Killed When Struck By Tree, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 59-year-old male was killed when he was struck by a tree while logging on a mountainside. The victim was working with two other men doing contract work for a local lumber company. All three men were full-time loggers and had many years of experience. On the morning of the incident, the men were working on a steep mountainside. One logger was working at the top of the hill operating a skidder that he owned to pull the cut trees up the hill. At the time of the incident, the victim was working about 30-35 feet from the top of …

Logger Killed By Falling Snag [96ky089], Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 54-year-old logger (the victim) was killed after being struck on the head by a falling snag (dead standing tree). The victim was cutting the last tree to make up a load (3 trees) for the skidder. The driver was about 10-15 feet away, waiting for the last tree. He did not witness the incident. When the victim felled the tree, a nearby dead tree broke at a point approximately 12 feet up. The dead tree fell directly on the victim, striking him on the crown of the head. He was not wearing any type of head protection at the …

Logger Killed By Falling Snag [96ky019], Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 42-year-old logger was killed after being struck on the head by a falling limb from a snag (dead standing tree). The victim had been working with one co-worker, who had temporarily left the scene to remove some logs. They were selectively cutting dead or dying trees which were approximately 20 inches in diameter. While his co-worker was away, the victim cut a tree which broke a snag approximately 30-35 feet up. The snag fell directly on the victim, striking him in the forehead. He was not wearing any type of head protection at the time of the incident. The …

!!Logging Hazard Alert!!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

In just a little over two years, at least 16 Kentucky loggers have been killed as a result of being struck by falling trees or branches (12), or by logs falling from trucks they were unloading (4).

Described below are two representative fatal incidents, followed by our recommendations for prevention of similar incidents.

Logger Killed When Log Rolls Off Truck At Sawmill, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 63-year-old male logger was struck by a log that rolled off a loaded truck at a sawmill. The victim was working with his two nephews that day and they were preparing to unload the logs from their two trucks. The logs were stacked at least twice as high as the standards on the sides of the flatbed trailers. As one nephew began to unchain the logs from his truck, the victim walked up to the truck, out of view of his nephew. When the chains were released, a log at the top of the load rolled off and struck …

Log Rolls Off Truck During Unloading And Strikes Logger, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 52-year-old male logger was killed when he was struck by a log rolling off of his truck during the unloading process. The victim was a self-employed logger who had at least 25 years of experience. He was using the family-owned truck to haul a load of logs to the mill. The vertical stakes on the flatbed truck were approximately three feet high with the logs stacked another 3-4 feet above the stakes. He arrived at the mill at approximately 9am and began the unloading procedure. One of the chains that secured the load of logs was in two pieces …

Logger Killed By Falling Snag [95ky078], Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 22-year-old logger was killed after being struck on the head by a falling snag (dead standing tree). The victim was working with one co-worker, who was selectively cutting trees which were approximately 22 inches in diameter. Standing approximately three feet from the tree being cut, the victim was not wearing a hard hat. The cut tree broke a snag about 35 feet up, causing the snag to fall and strike the victim on the head. The co-worker (tree feller) shouted to the victim, but he was unable to move away in time to avoid being hit. FACE investigators concluded …

Logger Killed In Endloader Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 41-year-old self-employed logger was killed when the endloader he was driving down a steep mountain road rolled over. Recent rainfall had made the dirt road wet and muddy. Tire marks left in the mud indicated that as the vehicle began to slide downhill, it hit the right embankment, causing it to veer to the left side of the road and roll over several times before coming to rest at the bottom of the dropoff on its left side. The victim was ejected from the vehicle and was found lying facedown about halfway between the edge of the roadway and …

Log Loader Runs Over Worker At Stave Mill, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 56 year-old-male stave edger was killed when he entered the path of a moving log loader at a saw mill. At 4:30 pm the day of the incident, the victim had completed an 8-hour shift in the mill. He walked out of the metal building toward the employee parking area. About 18 feet from the building he was struck by a loader, which was backing up. A witness and the loader driver ran to the victim and helped move him to some nearby logs. The victim was alive and conscious. He removed his ear plugs while waiting for the …

Logger Killed When Struck By Log That Rolled Off Truck During Unloading Operation, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 51-year-old male self-employed logger/farmer was preparing to unload logs at a sawmill. The load consisted of about 18 logs, 10-22" in diameter and 8-12 feet long. The load had been secured by 2 binders (chains) to the back of a Chevrolet flatbed single-axle truck. The forward of the 2 chains had been removed by the victim. As the second chain was loosened, a log from the top rolled off the truck striking the victim. The victim was crushed by the weight of the log. The Kentucky FACE investigator concluded that to prevent similar occurrences, loggers and logging operations should: …