N
need to talk
Guest
Writing this as a warning and a message to anyone in the biz that maybe thinks it can’t happen to them. I have been doing tree-work for over 25 years. Starting with my father at around 12 years old dragging brush, learning about chainsaws, learning to climb, all the ins & outs of the biz. Have seen a few injuries over the years, mostly cuts, scrapes and bruises, taken a few falls myself, skinned up arms and legs, had a friend of mine cut his neck on a kicked back saw off a chain link fence and nearly die. A few others have cut themselves in the legs with a chainsaw in a tree or accidentally gaffed themselves. All of these injuries were accidents and probably avoidable and caused by rushing to get the job done, lack of attention, etc. I always knew that this business was dangerous and have always looked at every job from many different angles always looking for the possibilities of getting either myself or a bystander hurt, or property being damaged and looked for ways to avoid it. If a job was just not cost effective or I just did not feel comfortable doing it I have walked away on more than one occasion. I got out of the business for a while seeking a career change but it draws you back in like some that have left can also feel. I have been slowly building my business up the past few years, getting the proper license and getting the required liability insurance for my area. Workers comp is not required in my area for operations of less than 3 people full time. This is a part –time business for me that I was slowly trying to grow into a full time. After years of being a pick-up truck hack (no offense intended) I wanted to do it the right way. I attended ISA classes, became certified and am able to talk to customers about the whys and what ifs about trees instead of just how much it cost to remove it. I have done many jobs over the years that others have refused to attempt, simply because I knew that my experience would allow the job to be done safely. I have never considered myself over-confident and many have questioned why I would rope rig limbs in trees that they would have simply ‘bombed out’, and my response has always been that ‘I was more comfortable doing it my way.’ Not to say that I refused to listen to others opinions, but if I was responsible for the job, it was going to be done my way always with an eye on safety both for myself and others around me. I would always work mostly alone and hire temporary help for the day as needed. I would always use the same helpers as they and I were familiar with each others work habits. They are more friends than hired help.
All of this changed after a catastrophic accident a few weeks ago. Without reveling names and other details I can say that a groundman that I hired for the day was killed on a job. We were scheduled to remove 5 trees at a property and had removed the first one without incident. The second tree was to be rigged off a remaining tree that was not being removed due to some landscaping and a sprinkler system located beneath it. After setting my blocks and lowering line, the limb was tied off. I put my undercut in the limb and turned to the groundman to check his position and make sure he was ready for the cut. After a vocal response and eye contact of readiness, I turned back to make my top cut. I made my top cut and like I done a thousand times prior clicked off the saw and turned to watch the piece fall. To my horror the groundman was looking at the ground, as I screamed to look up the branch tip hit the ground and the butt end hit him square on the head. I am unable to put into words the feeling of helplessness that I felt at the moment. I called to the homeowner who was watching the work to call 911 as I came out of the tree. EMS arrived but the injury was catastrophic. He was not wearing a helmet, although they were available, like so many others the excuses of comfort and convenience took precedence. I can’t get into a what-if discussion at this time since there is still an on-going investigation by osha. Police and detectives at the scene ruled it an accident. I carry general liability insurance, which is all that is required in my area; the helper did not carry his own insurance. I can’t comment further on the insurance issue either since I made a claim to my insurance that is still being investigated. He had done this work for many years and was not an inexperienced newbie. The limb was no bigger or smaller than any other that we had cut on the previous tree, or on any othe job that we have done before. This was a simple straightforward removal, that was supposed to earn myself and crew some additional Christmas $$$.
The vision of the accident is burned into my memory and I have gone over the scene many times in my head trying to come up with a reason for this to have been prevented. This is something that I have done countless times before, always stopping and checking the rope and drop area. Eye contact and voice contact with the groundman about the readiness is always done before the final cut is made. I will ask myself forever what was he looking at on the ground that was so consuming to not look up. I have not been able to look at a tree or a chainsaw since this happened. Both are something that I enjoyed for as long as I can remember. Others at the scene have relayed to me that this was an accident, that if he simply were looking up it would not have happened. I still can’t get the idea out of my head that I should have been able to do something. I can’t picture myself at this point ever getting into another tree and asking a groundman ‘are you ready?’ without it happening again. My phone continues to ring with people requesting work and I am putting them off until ‘after the holidays’ as an excuse. I am going to therapy and taking anti-depressive medication mostly as a sleep aid. Beside the loss of interest in the work the stress of the legal ramifications of this accident are also overwhelming. I have made contact with the family members and feel that no feelings of anger or blame exist at this time; just the same question of what was he looking at that we are all unable to grasp. I have had to go to the worksite several times as the investigation continues, every time trying to find an answer to a question that I know can’t be answered. The religious aspect tells us when HE calls and its time to go there are no questions; it is simply time to go. I post this as a new member here and not under my AS name simply to remain anonymous as the investigation continues and would appreciate those of you that are computer savvy enough to figure out who I am to respect this anonymity. In closing I can only say to be careful at your daily task and hug and kiss your loved ones before starting each day. I also ask for your prayers to the family of the victim, and to my own family as we face the future.
All of this changed after a catastrophic accident a few weeks ago. Without reveling names and other details I can say that a groundman that I hired for the day was killed on a job. We were scheduled to remove 5 trees at a property and had removed the first one without incident. The second tree was to be rigged off a remaining tree that was not being removed due to some landscaping and a sprinkler system located beneath it. After setting my blocks and lowering line, the limb was tied off. I put my undercut in the limb and turned to the groundman to check his position and make sure he was ready for the cut. After a vocal response and eye contact of readiness, I turned back to make my top cut. I made my top cut and like I done a thousand times prior clicked off the saw and turned to watch the piece fall. To my horror the groundman was looking at the ground, as I screamed to look up the branch tip hit the ground and the butt end hit him square on the head. I am unable to put into words the feeling of helplessness that I felt at the moment. I called to the homeowner who was watching the work to call 911 as I came out of the tree. EMS arrived but the injury was catastrophic. He was not wearing a helmet, although they were available, like so many others the excuses of comfort and convenience took precedence. I can’t get into a what-if discussion at this time since there is still an on-going investigation by osha. Police and detectives at the scene ruled it an accident. I carry general liability insurance, which is all that is required in my area; the helper did not carry his own insurance. I can’t comment further on the insurance issue either since I made a claim to my insurance that is still being investigated. He had done this work for many years and was not an inexperienced newbie. The limb was no bigger or smaller than any other that we had cut on the previous tree, or on any othe job that we have done before. This was a simple straightforward removal, that was supposed to earn myself and crew some additional Christmas $$$.
The vision of the accident is burned into my memory and I have gone over the scene many times in my head trying to come up with a reason for this to have been prevented. This is something that I have done countless times before, always stopping and checking the rope and drop area. Eye contact and voice contact with the groundman about the readiness is always done before the final cut is made. I will ask myself forever what was he looking at on the ground that was so consuming to not look up. I have not been able to look at a tree or a chainsaw since this happened. Both are something that I enjoyed for as long as I can remember. Others at the scene have relayed to me that this was an accident, that if he simply were looking up it would not have happened. I still can’t get the idea out of my head that I should have been able to do something. I can’t picture myself at this point ever getting into another tree and asking a groundman ‘are you ready?’ without it happening again. My phone continues to ring with people requesting work and I am putting them off until ‘after the holidays’ as an excuse. I am going to therapy and taking anti-depressive medication mostly as a sleep aid. Beside the loss of interest in the work the stress of the legal ramifications of this accident are also overwhelming. I have made contact with the family members and feel that no feelings of anger or blame exist at this time; just the same question of what was he looking at that we are all unable to grasp. I have had to go to the worksite several times as the investigation continues, every time trying to find an answer to a question that I know can’t be answered. The religious aspect tells us when HE calls and its time to go there are no questions; it is simply time to go. I post this as a new member here and not under my AS name simply to remain anonymous as the investigation continues and would appreciate those of you that are computer savvy enough to figure out who I am to respect this anonymity. In closing I can only say to be careful at your daily task and hug and kiss your loved ones before starting each day. I also ask for your prayers to the family of the victim, and to my own family as we face the future.
