Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Asplundh Tree Expert Co., 137 Cub Lane, HARPERS FERRY, WEST VIRGINIA 25425
on — Fractures, affecting the thigh(s).
Final narrative
An employee was standing on an uprooted tree that was lodged in a healthy tree attempting to cut a limb on the uprooted tree. The employee's primary climbing line was attached to the healthy tree and positioning lanyard was attached to the uprooted tree. After making the cut, the employee was walking back to the healthy tree when the uprooted tree became dislodged from the healthy tree. The employee fell approximately 60 feet to the ground with the uprooted tree, suffering a fractured femur, pulmonary and head contusion, and forehead laceration.
At 9:30 a.m. on August 4, 2021, a two-person crew was trimming branches on a 36-foot locust tree using an elevator lift truck. An employee was in the elevated bucket of the boom truck using a stick saw. While he was lowering the boom to clear some hangers, the walking pin to the hydraulic cylinder failed. The upper boom and bucket fell about 7.9 feet, coming to rest on the top of the cab protection rack. The employee suffered a head laceration and was hospitalized.
An employee was trimming a pecan tree with a hand saw. He had climbed the tree and was pulling a limb back to cut it when the limb contacted power lines. The employee was shocked and suffered burns to both hands and both knees.
An employee was walking around his work truck on muddy terrain when he slipped and fell in the mud. His left hip struck a 6-inch tree stump and was broken.
An employee was performing an inspection of the seed warehouse when they fell 30 feet from a catwalk to the ground. The employee sustained facial injuries and a compound fracture to the left femur.
An employee was on a cherry picker approximately 30 feet high, selecting boxes of merchandise from warehouse racking to place onto a pallet. The employee fell and sustained neck and back injuries.
On November 6, 2023, an employee was installing roofing materials on a multi-residential construction site 35 feet above ground level. The anchor on the employee's personal fall arrest system became unattached and the employee fell to the ground. They sustained multiple fractures.
On October 12, 2023, an employee was stacking insulation on a roof when they fell 35 feet through a skylight to the concrete floor below. The employee sustained an ankle and pelvis fracture.
On the fifth or sixth floor deck, an employee was supervising iron workers who were measuring to place rebar. The employee was struck by a wooden tool box that was being lifted by a tower crane. The employee then struck a wooden fence and fell approximately 50 feet to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to both legs and lacerations.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561730)
An employee was helping to set up a mulch blowing truck when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured knee, a concussion, and a head laceration; they also received stitches on their arm.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood when the saw cut his thumb, index, and middle fingers. His index finger was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.