Go BottomWood chipper accident
 | brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1288 Wisconsin 
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2006-08-17 133431
( I posted this in the impliments area on mistake)
My township had one of our tree profesionals die yesterday.
He went thru a chipper. This is posted here as a reminder about saftey. His mistakes?
1. He used his foot to dislodge a stuck branch.
2. He borrowed and was using an unfamiliar machine that day
3. The machine he was using had the emergency reverse arm broke (or disabled) OSHA is looking into it.
All three of those rules were broke and are considered some of the golden rules. The other tree company's in my town are all walking on egg shells this week. This man was 30 yrs old, 6'8" and owned his own buisness. It took 7 seconds, if anything remotely good can come from this, let it be that we all keep this story in our heads while we are using our equipment this year!
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon 
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2006-08-17 133437
Thanks for the reminder. It's easy to get a little careless around a chipper as the day gets longer and we get tired, though I don't think we've ever stuck our hands or feet in the hopper. That's what push sticks are for. ....
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 | earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2006-08-17 133441
A few years ago a friend of a friend borrowed his buddy's commercial chuck-and-duck chipper---the ones pro's use that eat a 10" limb in seconds. The borrower's 4-year-old son was walking by Dad feeding the chipper as the boy's coat got caught on a tree limb. The father and the owner were basket-cases for a long time after.
The same friend knew an owner of a local excavating company who watched as the not-shored trench he was digging caved in on his worker. Panicked, the owner furiously dug IN the trench NOT along side of it to rescue the worker. In the process he decapitated the guy. The coroner said the guy was already dead from suffication, but that guy was a mess for a long time and he was fined $20,000 by OSHA for not shoring the trench which I hear was about 12' deep. ....
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-08-18 133445
What can be said?
It sure proves one split second life can be over. It would seem wise planning before the work would help. No throwing guilt on the 4 yr's family but a small child around such a machine?
Lord help those hearts. ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2006-08-18 133449
There's been many a time at a customer's home that I have had small inquisitive children who all of a sudden end up--usually out of my direct sight--come dangerously close to my my equipment. Most paents have no clue thy need to keep the kids inside! So I tell the customer they are soley responsible for their kids, if, God forbid something happens. Some look dumbfounded like the kids would never do that, but once I give them examples, it puts the fear of God in them. Conversely, my adopted nieces who are now 6 and 10, when they were 2 and 6, used to wander too close to me working around their estate. I showed them the crushing power of the machines and they not only had instant respect for them but ended up (with parents' permission) operating the equipment (they impressed me so much I bought them a go-cart). With my assistance, both girls can drive the backhoe, bobcat, and the tractor. They wanted to drive the dump truck around but they can't reach the pedals. (I took their Dad up in my 40' man lift to repair his roof and was nearly in tears with terror) Not all kids are the same, but these kids have gained soooo much confidence in themselves and their abilities and aren't afraid to try new things. And they both had me show them how to arc weld! Dad has actually thanked me for doing more things with them than he could ever do (he owns a restaurant and doesn't have the background to teach them) ....
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