# 10 year old groundie?



## Dalmatian90 (Jul 24, 2010)

Yeah know, one hopes there was some "reporting liberties" taken and the real story isn't this FUBARed:



> GARDNER — A 10-year-old boy was injured yesterday morning when a tree being cut by his 17-year-old brother fell on him.
> 
> Police said the boy was helping his father, the owner of a tree service, remove a tree at 1075 West St. The boy was helping his father run a wood chipper while his brother was cutting off the top of the tree when it fell and pinned the 10-year-old. Police and firefighters were called. Before they arrived, however, the father removed the boy from under the tree and drove him to the Baldwinville Fire Station. He was then taken by Life Flight helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University campus in Worcester.



http://www.telegram.com/article/20100724/NEWS/7240316/1101/local


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## Taxmantoo (Jul 24, 2010)

Generally speaking, a family employee can be any age, but shouldn't the fall zone be clear of all lifeforms except the faller? EDIT: He wasn't falling it, he was topping it and the top landed on a groundie. 

One of the carpenters building a pole building for my parents turned 15 this week, but I get the idea that the Amish go by their own occupational rules. 
When I worked my way through college (Domino's Pizza), we could not let a 17 year old piemaker within 3' of the oven until he turned 18. That was the child labor law, not corporate policy, so I thought it a bit odd that there was a 14 year old up there bracing trusses for the roof, even though I'd done the same thing when I was 13 (but I didn't do it for a living, my dad and I were building our own barn).


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## fatjoe (Jul 24, 2010)

Dalmatian90 said:


> Yeah know, one hopes there was some "reporting liberties" taken and the real story isn't this FUBARed:
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.telegram.com/article/20100724/NEWS/7240316/1101/local



This is a touchy subject.The man obviously has two sons.At 17 thats a good age to be out there helping the old man with the family business.The 10 year old wants to help too.He don`t want to be stuck home with mom.Years ago, 10 year olds were down in mine shafts diggin coal.It was an accident.Plain and simple.At least the boys wanted to be with their father learning a trade instead of watching tv or playing video games.I`m sure the older brother feels like shat.The dad isn`t real happy either.Lets just hope the kids comes out of it ok.A lot of you guys are from the Pacific Nothwest.A lot of fisherman out your way.Would you look down on a captain taking his 10 year old out on a 4 day run?From what I understand, fishermans sons can start out even younger than 10.


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## Jumper (Jul 24, 2010)

Child labour laws here would say no to this, however, it seems to be a different matter when "family" is involved and I doubt the kid was even officially on the payroll.

I was driving a tractor at 13 during haying time, and certainly also was in the bush with my uncle when he was cutting wood for the furnace or sugar camp at about the same age. 

I do think 10 is a little on the young side to be around hazardous activities such as logging, farming and construction(but I do remember cleaning cattle stalls in a dairy barn during chore time at about 10). I worked for someone I'll call Mr "Spike It All" (it was not McPeak!) who routinely brought his 10 or 11 yr old soon to the job, and made comments routinely like how he was going to have to train the kid to do all the climbing. For the record, the kid was not a bad egg, he just made me feel very uncomfortable having him around the job site. No PPE, and it looked unprofessional as all get out. The guy had anger issues and I felt bad for the kid to be truthful.

I have had truckers show up on site in McMurray with kids in the cab (my cousin's hubbie took his son with him on trips from age one as well) and we turn them away at the gate, telling them to go hire a babysitter back in town, more than an hour away. Some very unhappy truckers, but the company policy states no one less than 18 on site.


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## fatjoe (Jul 24, 2010)

I`m sure he wasn`t on the payroll either.I don`t think 10 is too young to be pullin brush.I was doing firewood since I was 9.Didn`t run a saw till I was 11, but I sure did load trucks(hit my 16 yr. old sister in the head with a piece od hardwood once). My 11 year old daughter runs my splitter fine.I don`t think this accident happened on a major tree clearing contract.Probably some one man show trying to make a living and spend some time with his kids.


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## Jumper (Jul 26, 2010)

You probably are right about wanting to spend time with the kids, however I would suggest 10 is a little young to be in a work zone such as this.


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## fatjoe (Jul 26, 2010)

I disagree, 10 is not too young to start working in the family business.


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## pdqdl (Jul 29, 2010)

I am of mixed feelings on the topic.

I was raised that way (working around dangerous stuff), but I also know that kids do stupid things and simply don't stay focused all the time. I also know how badly things turned out for me sometimes, just because no adult was there to holler _"WHOA!"_

My dad set me and my brother to burning brush piles once, using gasoline as a starter. It was a breezy day. As I recall, we used about 5 gallons of gasoline. Thank goodness we lit it on the upwind side, because we would never have escaped the monster fireball that erupted 50 yards downwind of the pile. 

Either leave the little kids at home, or stay so focused on them that you won't regret where you put them.


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## loveroftrees (Aug 11, 2010)

Well as the father of a ten year old, my son asks all the time to come and drag brush. This whole summer he has worked hard and learned a lot. He can untie a bowline on a bight faster then some of the guys working two years. When asked to get the gas he'll also bring the bar oil and if he has time, unscrew the caps. He 'll put away ropes pick up a rake or do some things that I have to ask the guys to do with out being asked. It kinda opened some eyes on the job. 
But over all I doo stress out alittle more when he is working. He also knows what hard work is. Today it was 90 and very humid and he made it thru the day with out a single complaint. Can't say that about the rest.
I like having him around also....


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## MBDiagMan (Aug 14, 2010)

loveroftrees said:


> Well as the father of a ten year old, my son asks all the time to come and drag brush. This whole summer he has worked hard and learned a lot. He can untie a bowline on a bight faster then some of the guys working two years. When asked to get the gas he'll also bring the bar oil and if he has time, unscrew the caps. He 'll put away ropes pick up a rake or do some things that I have to ask the guys to do with out being asked. It kinda opened some eyes on the job.
> But over all I doo stress out alittle more when he is working. He also knows what hard work is. Today it was 90 and very humid and he made it thru the day with out a single complaint. Can't say that about the rest.
> I like having him around also....




Congratulations on being a GREAT Daddy!

My son is now 30. By the time he was 10 he: 

o was proficient in driving a tractor to rake hay
o could drive a pick up for feeding or loading hay
o had probably dragged and burned more brush and hauled more firewood than most city folks do in a lifetime.
o knew how to keep an eye on cattle and could tell me when one "wasn't feelin' good."
o would go out and feed the cattle in the Wintertime if I was late getting in, this without being told to do so.
o was already maintaining straight A's in school and he carried this all the way through high school and then did a 3.5 in college.

I look back on those days with great pride and fond memories even though we worked our you know what's off.

As you very well understand at this point with your ten year old, the important thing is that you like having him there with you. I'm a firm believer that the most important job we take on in the course of our lives is raising our children, assuming that we have children of course. The most important job we have, deserves the most care & attention.

I can assure you that having him around at this age will not only have nothing but positive influences on his life, but in the future you will be proud of him as well as yourself as he grows from a responsible boy to a responsible man.

My $0.02,
Doc

The good news is that we spent all this time


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## IndyIan (Aug 27, 2010)

Kids can learn the family business pretty early. The fellow that excavated our foundation had his 12 yr old son running the high hoe to install the drainage tile and backfill. The hired man was in doing all the grunt work within inches of the bucket without worry.


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## BradleyScott (Sep 24, 2010)

When I worked my way through college (Domino's Pizza), we could not let a 17 year old piemaker within 3' of the oven until he turned 18. That was the child labor law, not corporate policy, so I thought it a bit odd that there was a 14 year old up there bracing trusses for the roof, even though I'd done the same thing when I was 13 (but I didn't do it for a living, my dad and I were building our own barn).
_


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## dingeryote (Sep 24, 2010)

No slam on any parent that exposes a kid to hard work early, and keeps them on a tight leash untill they are responsible enough around dangerous equipment. 

That said, I'd rather see somebody have thier 14yr kid running a chipper or felling trees, than see them put the kid through what those freaks in Hollywood do to thier kids.

How about the kiddie pagents, and gymnastics?
Those poor kids get screwed up BAD!

There are a LOT of ways to screw up a kid permanently, and it's certain NOT exposing them to honest work, is one of the ways.



Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## Bigus Termitius (Sep 25, 2010)

Anyone know how things turned out for the family?

I've got a big 12 year old on site most days. People like to see a young man working an honest day for his family. He gets his share of tips too, they hand me the big check and him a $20.

He doesn't run equipment yet though. Maybe the winch some.

I'm all for it, especially being raised on a farm. They wasn't anything I did after I was 12 that I didn't do before I was 12.


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## flushcut (Sep 25, 2010)

I am all for having young guys on the job. My biz partner brings his kid (17) on the job and spends more time on the phone than working so I fired his kid! 
Sad to see this kid get hurt but the ball was dropped in communication. The dad and older kid should have been looking out for the youngin. 
I hope he is okay.


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## EdenT (Sep 27, 2010)

This is a very tragic story. The whole family is going to bear the scars from this a long time. As a parent the father will be searching his soul forever wondering how he could have prevented it. The 17 Y/O will probably wake up screaming from nightmares for a couple of years. I hope the 10 Y/O is OK but we all know that when a top pins you to the ground you will probably have serious injuries.

I think every parent has to make the decision for themselves as to when their child is old enough to come to work. But once that decision is made they have to take full responsibility for that decision. My old boss used to bring his 15-19 year old son to work with him. Used to scare the hell out of me because the kid was also autistic. Lovely kid, hard worker, but the potential for disaster was ever present. Had to watch like a hawk all the time because sometimes he just couldn't see a hazard right in front of, or above him.

Hope this kid makes a full recovery.


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## leslier (Sep 24, 2020)

I still cannot get the idea that he wasn't falling it, he was topping it and the top landed on a groundie. I have the audacity to mention here about the results section of dissertation and the way you can gain high grade for it.


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## sb47 (Nov 4, 2020)

Everyone matures at a different age, so some younger people can and do hole more responsibility then others. That's a judgment call on who ever is running the operation. State and federal laws do apply but some young people can do jobs that others can't yet do.


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## SlimJim1983 (Mar 14, 2021)

I have a ten year old, I want him to get a little older before he starts helping me. But then again, he is kind of a squirrel. I'd be more worried about him around the chipper, but he does a great job just moving brush and raking, which are my two least favorite parts of the job


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## Dave1960_Gorge (Feb 2, 2022)

My Dad let me help out when i was seven. Pruned my first tree with a little bow saw. He liked hand tools (this was on our private property -- he was a dentist) and didn't buy a chainsaw until the mid-70s. Still have that saw (a Stihl 026). We built a log cabin with it in 1975-6 in MA. My brother, Dad and I _carried_ the green hemlock logs Russian gulag style and rolled them up the walls with two ropes. Now, it was only about 16 ft. square, but it slept 8 on bunk beds, had a stove, and a floor we ripped boards for with a primitive chainsaw mill with that little saw. Those were formative experiences for me.


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## SweetMK (Feb 2, 2022)

When I was 10 years old, my 7 year old nephew taught me how to drive a Forward Control Jeep.
He had been driving that truck for two years.
His father had put blocks on the pedals, because he could not reach them.
He showed me gears 1, 2, and 3,, but never mentioned reverse.
A day later I was driving it, and needed reverse,, I just guessed,, (that was kinda an empty spot in the "H")
IT WORKED,, I was so proud that I figured out where reverse was.


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