The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has completed their investigation into a worker’s death on his first day on the job. They decided that his death could have been prevented if his employer had provided the proper safety training and ensured that workers used the proper techniques when loading wood chippers.

Justus Booze worked for the Countryside Tree Service in Guilderland, NY. His first day on the job he was loading a wood chipper when he was pulled into the machine. His employer did not provide him safety training and exposed workers to dangerous rotating parts of wood chipper machines that workers could be caught in. The company was also cited for exposing workers to amputation or laceration hazards while operating chain saws. Employees were not wearing leg protection using chain saws to trim tree branches. The employer was found to expose employees to eye injuries and head injuries because they were exposed to flying wood pieces, dust and falling objects and did not wear protective gear like helmets. Employees were not trained in proper use of personal protective equipment. The full list of citations and associated penalties can be found here.

The OSHA Albany area director Robert Garvey said allowing workers to operate dangerous machines without training is “unacceptable”. There are many hazards associated with tree trimming services and it is extremely important to inform workers on the dangers associated with the job and the machines used. According to OSHA, amputations in the tree service industry have increased since 2011 from 0.5 per 10,000 workers up to 3.3 amputations per 10,000 workers.

To help prevent the hazards associated with wood chippers OSHA recommends that training cover the proper operation of the machine’s controls, what the manufacturer’s instructions are regarding the operation, inspection and maintenance of the wood chipper, proper start-up and shutdown procedures and the proper use of personal protective equipment with the machine.

Those are just a few recommendations; the OSHA website has much more guidance on how to protect workers from wood chipper hazards.

The company faces $141,811 in fines.