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From the Logging Sector

Started by Bill Johnson, May 18, 2001, 02:49:42 PM

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Bill Johnson

From the Manitoba Government Department of Labour files.

The Hazards of Chicots

A logger, in the process of felling a 45-foot spruce tree, was killed when a section of a nearby 'chicot'(a dead or partially dead,standing tree)fell and struck the worker.

Cause:
The area where the spruce tree was to be felled was obstructed by blown down trees and standing chicots.
The escape route from the falling tree was not adequately cleared of brush or chicots. In addition, the tree was felled cross-wind, across the standing face, and it was not properly undercut. All these conditions contributed to the resulting fatality when the falling spruce tree struck the chicot, causing it to fall unexpectedly on the worker.

Corrective Actions:
Before felling or bucking a tree, cut and clear away any obstructions and ensure that the travel of the saw is clear.

Before felling a tree ensure any chicots in the vicinity of the tree have been pushed or felled safely to the ground.

Before felling a tree, ensure that the feller is able to stand clear of the tree during its fall.

Ensure that any tree cut or partially cut, standing on the stump, or hung up in adjacent trees is pushed or lowered safely to the ground, before the next tree is felled.

END

Bill
Bill

timberbeast

A good one,  Bill,  especially for Michigan,  where there is lot of dead Balsam standing.  Beware when skidding,  too,  folks...some of those dead Balsams are limbless,  with nothing to catch to wind to push them down,  but a bump with a skidded log will knock 'em right over.
Where the heck is my axe???

L. Wakefield

   over and over I have to remind myself to LOOK UP- many times the appearance of the trunk or the bark will let you know it's a deader- but some look just fine til you look up and see it ain't livin- nothing more embarrassing than banging dead limbs off a widow-maker. Embarrassment being the least of my worries.. :-/
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

Bill Johnson

I found this alert in the LogSafe and Smart Spring 1998 publication put out by the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry.


HAZARD ALERT:
Hydraulic oil leak-mechanical snakebite

Hydraulic timber harvesting equipment has become more and more common in the woods. It uses high hydraulic operating pressures. The increased frequency of injuries which involve these high-pressure hydraulic systems indicates a serious hazard to operators and mechanics.
  A pinhole leak in hydraulic hoses where operating pressures range from 3000 to 7000 psi in not only difficult to detect; it is also dangerous. A worker may notice a damp, oily, dirty place near a hydraulic line and run a hand or finger along the line to find a leak.
  An injury can occur from a high-pressured stream of hydraulic oil which can slice skin and inject the toxic substance into the tissues, or if the "oil laser" opens a blood vessel, the toxin can be injected directly into the blood stream. Once in the circulatory system, the toxin spreads rapidly throughout the body.
  An accidental injection may only produce a slight, stinging sensation initially which may cause workers to ignore the injury. Unfortunately within a short time, the wound will throb painfully which indicates tissue injury has already begun.
  All injuries should be reported as soon as they happen.

PREVENTION
1)Improve awareness. Remind workers during worksite safety meetings.

2)Carryout troubleshooting correctly. Ensure first that the machine is in a zero energy state. Inspect hoses from a safe distance, at least three feet away.

3)Establish a rigorous hose selection criteria and maintenance schedule. Color keying high-pressure hoses may alert workers to potential danger.

END

Bill
Bill

Bill Johnson

Now here's something you don't hear about everyday.

Serious Damage:Collision with helicopter

A crew travelled by helicopter to a meeting at a previously arranged location at the junction of a primary and secondary forest access road. The helicopter landed on the secondary road, with its tail boom and rear rotor extending into the main road. When they learned by radio that the man they were waiting for was waiting further down the the road, they prepared to take off again. While the helicopter was throttling up, and empty log-haul truck came down the main road and was unable to completely avoid the helicopter. It struck the tail section of the machine and was itself hit by the main rotor which sheared off a CB antenna and damaged two picketts and the exhaust stack.

Preventive Measures
No machine should park on the travelled part of any road unless precautions are taken to divert traffic. Many helicopter operators use road blocks coordinated by two way radios.

Truckers should travel at speeds appropriate to road and visibility conditions and always be able to stop within the distance they can see ahead.

Source. OFSWA files.

Bill

Ron Scott

Safety Reminder!

We recently had a very experienced cutter on one of my timber sales get hit on the back of the neck from a nearby falling top while he was bucking up a fallen tree on the ground. He didn't see it coming and was hit from behind.

He is now off for at least 6-8 weeks, in a neck brace, and may still need neck surgery which will be longer recovery time.

He has cut timber all his life and several jobs for me in an excellent manner. I will miss his absence.

Again, take care, and " look up", especially when working in heavy foliage.
~Ron

Bill Johnson

Industry Hazard Alert

Prop rod not used, feller buncher's gull wing almost collapses on worker.

What Happened?
When they're open, the gull wing enclosures on a feller buncher are supported by a prop rod, much like the rod that holds open the hood of an automobile.  In this case, a worker opened the gull wings to service a feller buncher but he did not use the prop rod to secure them.  An O-ring on the hydraulically activated cylinder that operates the gull wings was damaged and the gull wing nearly collapsed on him.

Why did it happen?
The worker ignored standard safety practice, which is to ensure that the prop rod is securely holding the gull wing open when work is being done to the feller buncher.

How can it be prevented?
Mechanical systems such as the hydraulic cylinders that operate the gull wings should not be solely relied upon while doing repair or maintenance work.  Available safety devices such as a prop raod should always be used.


Source OFSWA Industry Alert.
Bill

Tom

Boy, That's good advice.  

I would like to add that it is a smart thing to do to support any hydraulic or mechanical jack with a device that will prevent its collapse.  

One of my customers used to work under the front end loader of his backhoe, depending on the hydraulics;  One day he had just walked out from under it and was tending to something on the back of the machine when the hydraulics turned loose and the bucket free fell to the ground.  It scared him so bad that he not only doesn't work under hydraulics anymore but is a self proclaimed advocate for working safely.

There was a fellow crushed in Jacksonville not long ago who had been working under his car while it was on the jack.  The jack collapsed and he was killed.  His son found him and thought he was asleep.  That  will be something to live with for the rest of the boy's life.  

Bill Johnson

Saw kicks during limbing causing severe foot injury

A young cutter was limbing a tree when the tip of his saw bar contacted an object.  The saw kicked suddenly, causing a severe gash to the cutter's left foot.  He was taken to hospital where reconstructive surgery saved his foot, but the healing has been slow.

Kickback occurs when the chain is suddenly forced to stop while the saw is cutting at full throttle.  The energy of the chain is transferred to the saw in the opposite direction.  The result is that the entire saw violently pushes off from the point where the chain stopped.  High-energy kickbacks that occur when the cutter is off balance or standing in an awkward position are the most dangerous of all.  Such kickbacks occur during the limbing of trees, because other limbs and the tree trunk are close to the limb that is being trimmed, and when logs are being bucked because other logs may be piled behing the one that's being cut.

Improper handling of the swa increases the chances of serious kickback, as does any situation in which the cutter's vision of what he's cutting is partly obscured for any reason.

Good footing, proper posture, a solid grip on the chainsaw and constant alertness to the presence of other material or objects in the path of the saw can help prevent kickback.  Cutters must ensure that they can clearly see what they're cutting.

Chainsaw maintenance is also important to prevent kickback.  Cutters must keep their saw chains sharp and ensure that depth gauges are set exactly to manufacture's specifications for height.  Chain tension should also be properly adjusted.

Personal protective equipment can't prevent a kickback but it certainly can minmize injuries if a serious kickback occurs.  

Source OFSWA Industry Alert.
Bill

Bill Johnson

Industry Alert-Hazard

Chipper knives broken by chain, ejected through sliver chute.

A chipper operator was chipping hardwood when he heard a loud bang from the direction of the engine.  A nearby grapple operator saw flames and sparks coming from the chipper's sliver chute at about the same time as the loud bang was heard.  The chipper operator thought he might have thrown a piece of chain through the knives.  He finished chipping the trees that were in the chipper, then he shut it down to inspect the knives.  He saw that one complete knife and counter knife were missing.

It was concluded that a piece of chain must have struck the knife with great force, causing it and the counter knife to break away from the chipper and exit through the sliver chute.  The area around the sliver chute was checked for pieces but nothing was found.  New knives were installed and no further problems were encountered.

A daily check of the chipper using a checklist of the machine's systems and major components is recommended.  The two main purposes for such checks are to look for signs of excess wear and broken or missing machine parts and to check for anything that might interfere with the machine's normal operation.

Chipper operators should ensure that the chipper's knives are correctly torqued and that the counter knives are tight.  Chains should be inspected for wear and replaced on a regular basis.

Grapple skidder operators and anyone else working in the vicinity of a chipper should be warned of the hazard of working near the chipper's sliver chute.  The danger zone rule relating to the area that could be affected by flying debris from the chipper must be respected at all times.  All work must stop and any machine must be shut down before any worker on foot on another machine or vehicle enters the danger zone.

Source:OFSWA hazard alerts
Bill

Bill Johnson

Here is another fatality notice from the logging industry.

Industry Alert-Fatality

Log Loader Operator pinned between boom cylinder and cab

A worker was operating a log loader when the right window of the loader's cab shattered.  The operator was discovered with his upper body protruding through the right side window opening and his head and arm trapped between the main boom cylinder and the cab.  His injuries were fatal.

The exact cause of the shattering of the loader's side window is unknown, and theories differ on whether the source of impact was internal or external.  Since the operator's upper body was discovered in front on the main boom cylinder, the boom must have been in or near the full up position.  Incidental contact between the operator's lower body and machine's controls somehow led to the operator's head and arm becoming trapped in the path of the boom.

The loader is a tracked excavator converted to forestry use.  The conversion process provides a protective outer screen for the front and rear windows only.  Tempered glass is used for the right side window.  Although tempered glass is some five times stronger than regular glass, it can break easily if an edge defect is created during the manufacturing process or as a result of handling.  The fact that the right side window of the loader had previously been broken by an external impact and was replaced with original equipment purchased through the dealer leads to the conclusion that tempered glass doesn't adequately protect the loader operator from a significant impact, regardless of whether the source of the impact is external or internal.

Prevention:

While the loader's controls are active, the operator should wear a seat belt.  If for any reason the operator has to remove his seat belt or has to leave the cab, the safety lock lever that activates the machine's controls should be in the de-active position.

The log loader cab's side window glass serves as a guard that prevents the operator from coming into contact with the pinch point between the cab and the main boom cylinder.  If this guard is broken for any reason, the machine should be shut down at once with the grapple lowered to ground.

A screen or equivalent protection over the right side window could prevent a similar incident from occurring.  Lexan glass provides more appropriate protection than tempered glass for operators of this type of loader.

Source OFSWA Safety Alerts.

Bill

Bill Johnson

INDUSTRY ALERT
INJURY
 Millwright injured when
parts cabinet topples forward

What happened?
A millwright at a sawmill was retrieving parts from a storage cabinet and had several drawers open at once.  The cabinet suddenly tipped forward, spilling all the drawers onto the stockroom floor.  The millwright suffered minor injuries.

Why did this happen?
The parts cabinet had been moved from one stockroom to another and had not been bolted down in the new stockroom.  Because the cabinet contained as high combined weight of stored parts, having a number of drawers open at the same time unbalanced the weight load and caused the cabinet to tip forward, spilling the drawers onto the floor.

How can it be prevented?
Modular cabinets allow the storage of several hundred pounds of parts in a safe, versatile and compact space.  But storing that much weight in a space that small can create hazards.

Modular storage cabinets must be anchored to the floor and wall in order to prevent them from tipping over.  Opening only one drawer at time also ensures the cabinet's stability.  After the incident, the cabinet was bolted down and a label was placed on the cabinet warning that only one drawer is to be opened at a time.

It's important to follow the manufacture's recommendations when installing modular storage systems.  Parts, tools and other equipment should always be stored in the appropriate place and storage areas should be kept clear of debris and other hazards.

Source OFSWA
Bill

Bill Johnson

INDUSTRY ALERT
FATALITY

Fall into a hidden pit

What Happened?
An employee of a contractor was using a feller buncher to clear the right-of-way for a power line.  Heavy snow obscured all the ground features, and the worker inadvertently drove his machine onto the ice covering of a large man-made pit that had been used as a sump by a diamond-drilling crew doing exploration work several years earlier.  The feller-buncher suddenly broke through the ice and the operator, who managed to escape from the submerged machine, drowned under the ice.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES
1) Crews surveying cutting limits and laying out blocks or strips should make an effort to identify ground hazards that could be obscured by snow or heavy under brush. The could include pits, abandoned mine shafts, streams or deep channels in boggy ground.
2) Door, window and roof-mounted escape hatches should be kept clear and in smooth working order.
3) Equipment operators should practice "escape drills" to ensure that they are able to escape their machine quickly in a variety of situations and from a variety of possible positons.

Source OFSWA Industry Alert archives
Bill

Bill Johnson

INDUSTRY ALERT
FATALITY

What happened?
The victim, a skidder operator with 36 years experience, drove his machine up behind a working feller buncher – without its operator's knowledge – and parked about 20 feet away.  A 90' spruce the feller buncher was cutting fell out of control and landed across both the feller buncher and the parked skidder.  It is surmised that the skidder operator then climbed out of his machine and – still without the knowledge of the buncher operator walked up behind one of it's the tracks.  The feller buncher operator then backed his machine up sharply to dislodge the fallen spruce.  He then cut several more trees before turning his machine and for the first time spotting the parked skidder, the victim's helmet and, finally, the victim himself where he lay after having been run completely over.  The feller buncher operator radioed for help and the first aid team responded in minutes, but the victim died of severe internal injuries shortly afterwards.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES
1) The "Danger Zone" around all working machinery should be strictly enforced
2) No one should ever approach working machinery with first attracting the attention of the operator and making clear his intention to approach
3) Heavy equipment including skidders should be equipped with 2-way radios.


Source OFSWA Industry Alert archives.
Bill

Bill Johnson

INDUSTRY ALERT
INJURY

Mechanic's hand injured by
Injection of hydraulic fluid

What happened?
A mechanic was looking for the source of a hydraulic leak on a skidder while the machine was running.  After narrowing his search to two hydraulic hoses, he separated the hoses by grabbing one of them at a point away from the apparent leak.  When the skidder operator activated the hydraulics, a high-pressure spray of hydraulic fluid from an unnoticed pinhole leak on the hose the mechanic was holding punctured his glove and the skin of his finger, injecting fluid into his finger.  Although amputation is often the medical consequence of high-pressure injection injuries, in this case the mechanic's finger returned to normal after treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics and a period of light duty.

Why did this happen?
The lack of a clear plan of action to locate the hydraulic leak and poor communication between the mechanic and the skidder operator contributed to the mechanic's injury.  The two direct causes of the incident were the fact that the skidder was left running with the hydraulic fluid under pressure while the mechanic searched for the source of leak, and hydraulics were activated by the operator while the mechanic was holding a hydraulic hose.

How can it be prevented?
A pinhole hydraulic leak in a hydraulic hose that's under pressure can release toxic fluid at a speed of about 600 feet per second.  Fluid at that pressure can puncture clothing such as gloves and overalls and penetrate the skin from a distance of as much as four inches.  When fluid enters the body, it begins to kill tissue.  Medical treatment usually involves immediate surgery to remove the fluid.  Because of the remote nature of many logging operations, particular attention must be used around hydraulic hoses, as gangrene can set in if an injection injury isn't treated promptly.

The general rule on dealing with hydraulic leaks is to shut down the machine and drain the pressure from hydraulic hoses before inspecting them for leaks.  A hydraulic leak can almost always be located without the need to put the hydraulic fluid under pressure.  Even if the machine has been shut off, mechanics and machine operators need to ensure that the pressure has been relieved from the hoses.  To check a hose for leaks while pressurized, run a piece of cardboard along the hose, wearing gloves, long sleeves and safety glasses.  If hydraulics need to be activated for any reason during the work, the mechanic should step back a safe distance, then signal the operator to start up the machine.

All mobile machine mechanics and operators need to be aware of the hazards of hydraulic fluid under pressure and of the safe procedures for working near it.


Source OFSWA Safety Alerts archive
Bill

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