# Stump grinder operator fatality



## StrataTree (Jun 23, 2013)

Portsmouth, NH. A fatality involving what appears to be a Carlton OX 7015 stump grinder last week continues to be investigated...

Especially caught my eye because I occasionally operate the same model grinder.

R.I.P.


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## Tundra Man Mike (Jun 23, 2013)

OSHA to investigate fatal stump grinder accident - News Local New Hampshire - Boston.com

Sad, I wonder how it happened. Thoughts to the family and friends.


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## Grouchy old man (Jun 23, 2013)

I find it interesting that with some models manufacturers put a lot of effort into operator safety like making the cutter stop if you remove your hands from the controls at the rear, making you keep a safe distance from the cutting wheel. Yet they also offer a remote control that lets the operator stand right next to the cutter. Not saying I'm in favor of idiot proofing but I've seen machines being operated by idiots. Just the other day I saw a large grinder being operated on a steep slope with one worker operating it and another actually pushing against it with his hands trying to keep it from rolling over.:msp_ohmy:


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## derwoodii (Jun 24, 2013)

awful lets see what the investigation says, I too have found myself too close to a working wheel and wondering why would i do that.


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## eert (Jun 25, 2013)

Grouchy old man is 100% correct, i often to wondered that. God bless the guy and it will be interesting to see how it happened, be sure to follow up.... May not of helped when you consider that most stump grinders go out by them self, its a "one man job" bossman will say, grinders use 66 to cut down stumps regulatory there should always be 2 on a stump grinding team imo.


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## treesmith (Jun 29, 2013)

sad news, I go out alone occasionally, the alternative is to pay someone to stand watching and I can't see that catching on unless it's law. often the grinder is on site and gets done alongside clean up, when we have to come back for it though it's only ever a one man job


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## imagineero (Jun 30, 2013)

I sold my grinder about 6 months ago and I'm glad I did. I've gone back to subbing all my grinding out. I couldn't fit the grinder anywhere on the truck or chipper because of space/weight limitations, so I always had to go back to grind. There's just no money in it. I was pretty strict on the guys not ever leaving the controls of the machine unless the wheel had been disengaged, buried, and verified to be not moving.

We had a guy in aus couple years ago, with a large remote control grinder, very experienced operator, I'd met him a couple times but didn't know him well. He ground most of his calf off. Was grinding a big stump close to a wall, with the machine on auto swing. wall got destabilised by the grinding and a water heater started to topple. He ran forward to catch it, with the machine still running/swinging. Last time I heard, they'd managed to reconstruct his leg and he could walk again, but it was pretty mangled.

Shaun


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## treesmith (Jun 30, 2013)

Chippers and grinders, chainsaws, trees, stop thinking for just one minute and the world changes


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## innaminnit (Jun 30, 2013)

*possible scenario*

...as I heard it from a pretty reputable source, it was being operated w/ the remote function engaged and the operator had spooled the excess cordage either over his shoulder or around the neck, the cord was caught in the cutter wheel and tragedy followed - take it for what it is but it makes the most sense to me


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## StrataTree (Jun 30, 2013)

Ours is cordless! Can't imagine how a corded model was ever approved. Seems like askin for trouble to me...


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## ShermanC (Jul 20, 2013)

*Grinding stump(s) on a slope*

This is a risky thing to do. When in that situation we chain secure uphill to a tree or the work truck so the uphill anchor keeps the grinder steady and firm. The chain or rope is hooked for safety to the machine nowhere near the cutter. It works! This setup is a part of our safety meeting and job briefing done daily.

QUOTE=Grouchy old man;4387690]I find it interesting that with some models manufacturers put a lot of effort into operator safety like making the cutter stop if you remove your hands from the controls at the rear, making you keep a safe distance from the cutting wheel. Yet they also offer a remote control that lets the operator stand right next to the cutter. Not saying I'm in favor of idiot proofing but I've seen machines being operated by idiots. Just the other day I saw a large grinder being operated on a steep slope with one worker operating it and another actually pushing against it with his hands trying to keep it from rolling over.:msp_ohmy:[/QUOTE]


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## ropensaddle (Jul 21, 2013)

treetopguy2028 said:


> This is a risky thing to do. When in that situation we chain secure uphill to a tree or the work truck so the uphill anchor keeps the grinder steady and firm. The chain or rope is hooked for safety to the machine nowhere near the cutter. It works! This setup is a part of our safety meeting and job briefing done daily.
> 
> QUOTE=Grouchy old man;4387690]I find it interesting that with some models manufacturers put a lot of effort into operator safety like making the cutter stop if you remove your hands from the controls at the rear, making you keep a safe distance from the cutting wheel. Yet they also offer a remote control that lets the operator stand right next to the cutter. Not saying I'm in favor of idiot proofing but I've seen machines being operated by idiots. Just the other day I saw a large grinder being operated on a steep slope with one worker operating it and another actually pushing against it with his hands trying to keep it from rolling over.:msp_ohmy:


[/QUOTE]

Lol well I have not found a slope yet that worrys me if I have my highboy hooked up to my sc602

Too bad for the guy probably happened fast rip

As far as alone I prefer it as too many times I have had to stop machine and tell someone to back up, my fear is always thrown objects.


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## ShermanC (Jul 21, 2013)

*Debate of working alone vs team work*

This is so debatable because when the unexpected happens another person may be a savior for emergency. For me in 2009 grinding a 9' diameter oak base the grinder spit out half a horseshoe to the left of me. I stopped the grinder looked at the metal and said hmmm to myself and kept going. This 70' 80 year old red oak had split apart in an ice storm and we had to re drop all of it becuase of buildings close by. Inside this tree the saws ran into metal pipe, welded wire fence, barbed wire, tristed shank nails and the horseshoe. I saved them in my shop as a reminder of what crazy things we might run into. Back at the shop I inspected the cutters and noticed something stuck I the rear safety curtain...the other half of the horseshoe. Had that metal gotten through the curtain and hit my leg or ankle and had I been working alone I might have been seriously injured or killed by bleeding to death.

I fell 20' in June 1999 from a limb wearing safety belt and hard hat. I worked alone in those days and forgot to secure the belt to the tree, using a 20' extension ladder on a hot humid day. If three guys had not been working in the new building close by and heard my scream for help I would not be here today. God had the angels inmy path for every ordeal that day, in the hospital in 45 minutes and an Orthopaedic surgeon happened to be there when the ambulance arrived. He is now one of my tree service customers.

The cost of injury, work stoppage, business failure and other consequences far outweighs the cost of team help. If I had not had 22 years of experience behind me, much of the early years working alone, I could not take the stand I take. In the words of Russ Nickel, a student instructor for my college curriculum often said, "let a word to the wise be sufficient".


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## ropensaddle (Jul 21, 2013)

treetopguy2028 said:


> This is so debatable because when the unexpected happens another person may be a savior for emergency. For me in 2009 grinding a 9' diameter oak base the grinder spit out half a horseshoe to the left of me. I stopped the grinder looked at the metal and said hmmm to myself and kept going. This 70' 80 year old red oak had split apart in an ice storm and we had to re drop all of it becuase of buildings close by. Inside this tree the saws ran into metal pipe, welded wire fence, barbed wire, tristed shank nails and the horseshoe. I saved them in my shop as a reminder of what crazy things we might run into. Back at the shop I inspected the cutters and noticed something stuck I the rear safety curtain...the other half of the horseshoe. Had that metal gotten through the curtain and hit my leg or ankle and had I been working alone I might have been seriously injured or killed by bleeding to death.
> 
> I fell 20' in June 1999 from a limb wearing safety belt and hard hat. I worked alone in those days and forgot to secure the belt to the tree, using a 20' extension ladder on a hot humid day. If three guys had not been working in the new building close by and heard my scream for help I would not be here today. God had the angels inmy path for every ordeal that day, in the hospital in 45 minutes and an Orthopaedic surgeon happened to be there when the ambulance arrived. He is now one of my tree service customers.
> 
> The cost of injury, work stoppage, business failure and other consequences far outweighs the cost of team help. If I had not had 22 years of experience behind me, much of the early years working alone, I could not take the stand I take. In the words of Russ Nickel, a student instructor for my college curriculum often said, "let a word to the wise be sufficient".



I'm alone doing stumps not when in trees however 95% of the time my customers are there and would dial 911. Fortunately in over 30 years of doing the hard trees the worst injury's I have had at work were superficial. I have only had 10 stitches that is the sum of work related injuries for myself "part luck part skill" Now the skill part is being methodical, see almost all tree men associate their worth by speed. I have found speed of operations is too emphasized and I would just rather get done a hour later whole as get to a hospital half done.


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## Stump Man Shane (Dec 9, 2013)

imagineero said:


> I sold my grinder about 6 months ago and I'm glad I did. I've gone back to subbing all my grinding out. I couldn't fit the grinder anywhere on the truck or chipper because of space/weight limitations, so I always had to go back to grind. There's just no money in it. I was pretty strict on the guys not ever leaving the controls of the machine unless the wheel had been disengaged, buried, and verified to be not moving.
> 
> We had a guy in aus couple years ago, with a large remote control grinder, very experienced operator, I'd met him a couple times but didn't know him well. He ground most of his calf off. Was grinding a big stump close to a wall, with the machine on auto swing. wall got destabilised by the grinding and a water heater started to topple. He ran forward to catch it, with the machine still running/swinging. Last time I heard, they'd managed to reconstruct his leg and he could walk again, but it was pretty mangled.
> 
> Shaun



Thanks for sharing Shaun! I have ground many stumps very close to retaining walls, fence post, deck footings, lite poles, etc. Stupidly I have never put a much thought about the fact that it could jeopardize the stability of the structure and cause major damage or seriously injure myself or others... even death. I will now look at those jobs much more closely and take the appropriate precautions. Many times we have to learn from our mistakes, I feel this may be one mistake I wont have to learn about the hard way thanks to your post! Thank you! 

Shane


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## imagineero (Dec 10, 2013)

Stump Man Shane said:


> Thanks for sharing Shaun! I have ground many stumps very close to retaining walls, fence post, deck footings, lite poles, etc. Stupidly I have never put a much thought about the fact that it could jeopardize the stability of the structure and cause major damage or seriously injure myself or others... even death. I will now look at those jobs much more closely and take the appropriate precautions. Many times we have to learn from our mistakes, I feel this may be one mistake I wont have to learn about the hard way thanks to your post! Thank you!
> 
> Shane


We're all looking out for each other, each little piece of the puzzle increases the odds of getting home safe. I don't grind any more but I work closely with my grinding sub contractor and he generally does one full day of grinding for me each week. He ground right through a gas pipe this week, no harm to anyone luckily. It was an older pipe not on the plans and nobody can figure what it was there for.

Shaun


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## treesmith (Dec 12, 2013)

Stampers are nasty, thankfully, worst I've done is a mains pressure pipe to a garden tap, it was routed through the middle of a flower bed and only 4" deep, glad it wasn't electric! 

Sent from my GT-I9210T


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