OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221567340

HIGH TIE TREE SERVICE

DENVER, CO— 2023-05-19T00:00:00

Event: Brain, Clearance, Contact, Cutting, Electric Shock, Electrocuted, Hand Tool, Overhead Power Line, Saw, Shock, Traumatic Brain Injury, Tree, Tree Care, Tree Climber, Tree Pruner, Tree Worker's Saddle
NAICS: 561730
Inspection type: Federal Agency
Activity number: #346734106
Employer profile: HIGH TIE TREE SERVICE
Summary number: 221567340
Report ID: 0830500

Event description

Employee is electrocuted while cutting tree branches, later

Investigation abstract

At 11:19 a.m. on May 19, 2023, an employee working for a tree care service powerlines. As a result, the employee was electrocuted with a 7,200-volt line. The employee died after being admitted to the hospital following electrocution and a brain injury. trimming branches while suspended in a saddle on the tree. The employee was using a 21-foot aluminum pole saw to cut the branches. The employee's main tools and equipment for this task included the saddle, which is a harness-like device worn around the waist, and pole saw, which is a long pruning tool with a saw blade at the end. The employee was cutting the branches away from overhead powerlines. He was positioned on a branch approximately 10 feet above the ground with the pole saw fully extended. While cutting he was holding the saw at the center of its base when the back end of the tool made contact with the

Victim

#1 Fatality Age 23 M

Event type
13

Occupation code
0

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.