# FACE Death Report - Please Read!



## Baumkletter (Dec 9, 2002)

To everyone who operates a chipper or has employees that operate chippers, please read the attached report. As you'll also notice, the employer provided a comprehensive training program for his employees. 

There are some excellent recommendations to follow, which may help in avoiding this type of fatality/injury. If you don't already, you may want to incorperate these into your daily work procedures, and hopefuly avoid such a tragic situation.

Mike Dirksen


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## Reed (Dec 9, 2002)

Total Body Fragmentation. What an obituary.

In spite of safety training, that leaves individual responsibility or the absense/presense of thought. 

The only condition besides complete moronity I can excuse this with is perhaps weather - June/July it may have been heat stress leading to brain malfunction. Cold can do the same thing, but wrestling brush warms enough muscle to keep the brain from being too idiotic. He may have had some social/cultural/companionship issues as well. 

I hope to not see implimentation of laws to force a two-man chipper chute mandate. The control bar is sufficient, they need regular attention as do the cognizance of each employee - check-outs often to make sure everyone's operating with a bubble on level. 

Fire whistle in Iowa years ago, we followed the trucks out to a farm nearby where a 85 yr old was pulling a hay baler. He went thru the rake at least a dozen times, fell off his tractor which kept circling back to bale him over and over. Next door that very Summer a friend who blew silage up into his glass silo got bit with a u-joint bolt on the PTO and he went for a spin, it lasted an hour before his wife called him to lunch. Only a tight glob of boneless flesh was left on the shaft when the tractor ran out of fuel. We heard the change in RPM's when it must've happened from next door. 

Waking-up with cold sweats still years later when I think of these incedents, I've been lucky in a macabre sense that I think about safety and death 'cause I've seen it over and again during my life - I don't want to die, get that across to the guys again and again. If they do there's nothing you can do about it except make their time on your payroll at least tolerable and understanding enough to keep 'em from doing it on your watch. 

Geez.


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## treeclimber165 (Dec 9, 2002)

I copied the text and emailed it to you, Dan. If you are running Windows, the attachment on the above post should open with Notepad.


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## Eric E. (Dec 9, 2002)

*Imagine That*



Isn't it surprizing to see the Z 133 listed as a reference in this report?


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## TREETX (Dec 9, 2002)

Doh!! That'll leave a mark. That 1800 sounds like one hell of a chipper. I remember that happening to a line clearance guy in Houston a few years back but it was no accident - he had disgruntled coworkers to thank for his dimize.


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## Mahk (Dec 9, 2002)

Brian;

I can't access the attachment either. Could you send me a copy?

Thanks.

Mahk


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## treeman82 (Dec 9, 2002)

I was able to open it, however the document seems easiest to read if it is simply printed out on paper. 

That is just NASTY, "total body fragmentation" I could only hope that the guy passed out soon after being sucked in there so that suffering would not be a drawn out thing. I have wondered a few times in the past which would be worse, feet first or hands first? Not something I would want to investigate in any depth... just a thought.


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## TREETX (Dec 9, 2002)

Feet first - what a morbid question, can't believe I took the hook.


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## mmayo (Dec 9, 2002)

Just goes to show it doesn't matter how long youv'e been doin it. One careles moment and your life can change forever. I showed up to work a year ago and heard a scream from behind the truck. I ran over and I found the owner of the company under an old whisper chipper. The chipper had no jack on it, was sitting on its back end, when the guy attempted to put it on the truck. Big mistake, broke his leg in three places and pinned him until I got there, maybe 5- 10 min. Have a safe time everyone! 
P.S. A pleasure to have found this site!


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## TheMDTreeman (Dec 10, 2002)

*Chipper Death*

heard about one in Virginia that chewed up a new employee not trained,, they said the only thing they saw sticking out the rear of the bucket was a few pieces of clothes , blood everywhere, and a dollar bill sticking out of the chips, got to be a horrible death


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## Toddppm (Dec 11, 2002)

Yup , one of my old climbers was there for that one, nasty. It was another unseen accident, noone knows how it happened.

Well , maybe it was a different one, they didn't have a bucket, happened about 5 years ago.


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## TheMDTreeman (Dec 11, 2002)

*Q to Toddppm*

Toddppm,

Was the guy Hispanic or some other non-American?


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## Reed (Dec 11, 2002)

MD,
I live in a state where more than half of the population is Hispanic. They're not "non-American" I hope 'cause I'm still trying to figure-out what an American is (as far as hyphenated-people). I think you might've been asking if they were "foreign labor". That I don't know.


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## Toddppm (Dec 11, 2002)

The guy that went through, no.


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## TheMDTreeman (Dec 11, 2002)

Oakwilt,

I wasn't really saying non American, I was just saying the guy that gotten eaten alive was either Spanish or from Central America. I work with a Spanish guy here and he is a better worker than some Americans. I think the guy that was diced couldn't even speak English, but yes Todd he was from VA.


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## Reed (Dec 11, 2002)

Okay.

Yeah, my experience too. Lots of factors in who can work harder and dedicate more, I don't consider racial factors. Had a retired full bird colonel who asked me to leave a black man at the shop next time I came to prune. We never pruned there again.


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## ironwood (Dec 12, 2002)

New here, don't know if I am on the "thread". If I'm on, just wanted you guys to give me your opinion on drum and disc chippers. Most disc chippers have a lever to push towards the feeder to reverse the feeder rollers, as drum types don't. Are most accidents or fatalities caused by DRUM CHIPPERS? Thanks...


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## treeman82 (Dec 12, 2002)

Ironwood-
Chippers made today with the autofeed wheels come in both drum and disk. Some manufacturers still make "chuck n' ducks" as we like to call them. However those machines are mostly used by line clearance companies now a days. As far as disk Vs. drum goes as far as accident wise... I think if we are comparing drums and disks with autofeed then they would be equal. A guy down a little ways from me was decapitated a few years ago for being STUPID with a disk chipper and a pinch bar. I have heard of a bunch of accidents with "chuck n' ducks" but none were ever serious. LOTS of minor stuff with them.


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## ironwood (Dec 12, 2002)

Thanks Treeman82..., I thought most drum chippers couldn't be reversed as they are being fed like the disc types.


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## treeman82 (Dec 12, 2002)

Actually when I read this I thought of how Brush Bandit has those wires that come down through the shroud so that in an EXTREME emergency you can pull them and they will reverse the feed rollers. However then I read that this was a Vermeer chipper.


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## Treeman14 (Dec 12, 2002)

I think those "last chance" rip cords are pretty much standard on all chippers nowadays. Older chippers don't have them, but I know Bandit offers a free safety kit so you can install them.


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## Toddppm (Dec 12, 2002)

I was thinking about the disc versus drum all day, going to start another thread.


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