Injured tree worker

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DDM

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Sunday while i was returning my bucket truck to a job sight after servicing it I stopped at a gas station to fill it up. I noticed one of the local tree guys pull up the owner of the small company.
He's part time as well as he climbed out of his truck. I noticed He was wearing a leg splint and on crutches.I casually walked up to him in the store and asked what had happened. He explained he was spiking his way up an oak to Top it he got about 8' off the ground fell backwards. One of his spikes didnt release and he tore a few ligiments in his leg after he almost landed on his head.I asked what happened to his flip line he responded he only had about 15' to climb to a fork and he wasnt
wearing it.:eek:
 
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Another injury that would have been prevented by following the ANSI Z133.1 -2000 safety standard.

"9.1.2 Arborists shall be tied-in or secured while ascending the tree and remain tied-in or secured until the work is completed and they have returned to the ground."

TMW
 
About four years ago I met a climber at our annual EHAP training. he worked for a power co-op near LaCrosse. He and his crew were not that skilled but all of them paid attention and asked a zillion questions. They were in the place in life where they "Knew they Didn't Know". That is the place where you will learn a lot. This fellow and I hit it off that day and I took extra time to impress on the whole crew to climb safe. Their supervisor realized that he needed to provide better training for the crew so my friend Gary Albig and I wer hired to come down and do a day of training three weeks later. When we got to the shop my buddy wasn't there. I found out that he had spiked up a removal but fell beforehe put on his safety. When he fell he hit his neck and now is a quadraplegic. He has a wife and kids. What do you think he would do in hindsight? Ignore the safety regs?

Tom
 

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