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2017-02-04 - Faller

Fatality Alert

On February 4th, a faller was fatally injured when a tree uphill from where he was working uprooted and struck him. He was working in the Woods Lagoon area on the BC Coast.

Our condolences go out to the family and co-workers of the deceased.

The Coroners Service and WorkSafeBC are investigating this incident.

This is the 1st harvesting fatality of 2017. Please share the information below with the objective of preventing similar incidents at your operations.

Although the details of this incident are still unknown, review the following safety information:

  1. Red and yellow cedars in rocky areas with shallow or wet soils are likely to be unstable. Cedars naturally have shallow roots and other characteristic hazards. A list of hazards for the common tree species is below or on page 2 of this alert.
     
  2. Weather conditions can cause significant changes in ground conditions. Heavy rainfall can reduce soil strength which causes landslides and tree instability. Frequent freeze and thaw cycles can create ground instability and rockfall.
     
  3. Overhead hazards are difficult to see and are often a cause of falling incidents. Take the time to assess the tree and look for hazards like limb tied trees and dead tops or branches.
     
  4. Many falling incidents are the result of chain reactions. The tree being felled can cause unexpected movement in nearby trees, logs, rootwads or rocks. As part of the hazard assessment, anticipate what chain reactions may occur.

Tree Species Group Hazards

Group 1 – Douglas Fir, Larch, Pine, Spruce

Group 2 – Western Red Cedar and Yellow Cedar

Group 3 – Hemlocks and True Firs (Balsam)

Group 4 – All Deciduous

SOURCE: BC Faller Training Standard

File attachments
BCFSC-FatalityAlert-2017-02-04.pdf

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