OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221504111
THE F A BARTLETT TREE EXPERT COMPANY
MENLO PARK, CA—
Event description
Employee is killed when pulled into wood chipper
Investigation abstract
At 12:50 p.m. on October 11, 2022, Coworker #1, the foreman, was on top of a from the feed table when the branches were taken into the rotor. The second time he loaded branches into the feed hopper tray, Employee #1 was pulled into the feed hopper tray and into the blades from his left hand. Employee #1's glove may have gotten caught on the branch and he was pulled into the wood-chipper. Employee #1's injuries were fatal. tree approximately 55 feet from the ground. He was trimming the inner part of the tree and close to the center trunk. Coworker #2 was in the bucket of a bucket truck, suspended approximately 55 feet from the ground; he was trimming the outer edges of that same tree. Employee #1 was on the ground picking up the small branches they cut and putting them in a pile by the Bandit Intimidator 18XP. According to the video, Employee #1 began putting branches in the feed hopper tray. Employee #1 loaded the branches in the centerline of the blades, right in the middle of the in-feed tray, and he did not immediately turn away
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 49 M
- Event type
- 2
- Occupation code
- 889
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