Man dies after going through woodchipper

[easy-lift guy]

What I still don't get is how so many of these accidents happen, if a machine is so dangerous then no one should go near it. Full stop.

 

In the UK there has to be a minimum distance between the edge of the indeed and the rollers, there must also be a stop bar which if functioning correctly will be easily stopped by the operator if he falls or becomes snagged. Are the US machines different?

 

Hand feeding a machine designed to be crane fed would be very dangerous, but with the proper safety features in place I can't see why 1 man can't feed a big chipper. I have hand fed a 10" TP, a 12" bandit and a 16" Morbark, all could take you through if you let them, but all had the proper stop bars and were quite safe....

 

 

Either US chippers don't have these features or they're pretty poor at maintaining them...

 

I do not believe there are any significant differences between the chippers I have seen and used here state side and the ones I have seen used at the APF.

Regrettably this story has nearly run the news cycle and TBH I will be surprised if any further mention from the media will be forth coming.

I believe the cause of death was greatly increased for the reasons and facts I have stated earlier in other replies. I am sure there will be a law suit against as many parties as possible by one of the larger carpet bagger firms here in Florida.

A settlement will be reached out of court and the surviving family members will be left a whole as possible after all is said and done, until the next time.

Same story different named victim, same ending.

easy-lift guy

[jomoco]

And the point I'm making is that it's just as legal to send out an 1800 equipped chiptruck with a solo operator to chip up brush piles in the UK, as it is in the US.

 

Thank goodness a lost arm or so here n there are the UK's worst casualties to date. But the same can't be said of Canada, Australia, or America.

 

It ain't cool for a tree service owner to send out a solo WTC operator to make him 750 bucks, performing an extremely dangerous life threatening task for 100 bucks, legally.

 

As equipment gets bigger and more potentially dangerous, there are OSHA/govt regs that come into force, and are shall dos for the industries they're used in, including the tree industry, like mobile cranes, which are illegal to operate on the job solo when they're over 100 ton capacity, see?

 

Jomoco

[Stephen Blair]

Diff lock, great link.

My idea looks great !

Steve metal detector sensors in forage harvesters are the same set up as Chippers, metal everything, the sensor is in a metal roller, don't know how it works, but it does .

Ted, we don't want to chip metal, it wrecks our machines.

Morbark obviously have this Sussed.

I'd love this on my chipper.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[jomoco]

Excellent link Difflock, thanks for sure!

 

When you go to that link, read the very first part bout never operatin chippers alone.

 

ChipSafe? Operator Safety Shield | Morbark, Inc.

 

Jomoco

[Gnome]

And the point I'm making is that it's just as legal to send out an 1800 equipped chiptruck with a solo operator to chip up brush piles in the UK, as it is in the US.

 

Thank goodness a lost arm or so here n there are the UK's worst casualties to date. But the same can't be said of Canada, Australia, or America.

 

It ain't cool for a tree service owner to send out a solo WTC operator to make him 750 bucks, performing an extremely dangerous life threatening task for 100 bucks, legally.

 

As equipment gets bigger and more potentially dangerous, there are OSHA/govt regs that come into force, and are shall dos for the industries they're used in, including the tree industry, like mobile cranes, which are illegal to operate on the job solo when they're over 100 ton capacity, see?

 

Jomoco

 

 

I think there is a clash of cultures here. In the UK both the employer and employee has duties to ensure a safe working environment. If I went stateside and was asked/told to use a machine that would put me on the top of the chip pile I would happily walk away.

 

I don't think there would be many tree care companies in the UK that would allow 1 or 2 operators to use these machines manually. The risk to the owners freedom would be to high. If they are then i would recon that it would be the most experienced operators who would be working them, not unskilled immigrants.

 

Any machinery I have seen coming from the states has had safety features retro fitted to EU standards. (CE marked) This would say to me that we are more protected this side of the pond regarding safety regulations. Of the limited portrayal of the US logging scene and working conditions in general I think you guys are a few decades behind. That's not to offend the skill and hard graft, just the systems in place.

 

Over the past few years I think our culture is getting even better regarding the mindset of the workers attending training, sure there are older workers who scoff at alot of the new regulations but the younger ones are starting to take it more seriously.

 

Our industry guidelines advise against lone working. I wouldn't think there are many sole traders with monster chippers here.

 

As for the climbers comments. I don't think you can compare the two. The risk assessment would determine if you work from the ground, use machinery(MEWP) or then if appropriate climb. If climbing then the proper gear and climber for rescue. (Which is the same if using a MEWP, need someone at the bottom to bring cage down)

 

Chippers I have been trained on and used have enough safety features to provide a safe working environment and system of planned work. IMO.

 

As long as we all go home safely and don't ruin peoples chip piles, sobering to remember we are only here once.

 

Hope that makes sense!

[jomoco]

I think there is a clash of cultures here. In the UK both the employer and employee has duties to ensure a safe working environment. If I went stateside and was asked/told to use a machine that would put me on the top of the chip pile I would happily walk away.

 

I don't think there would be many tree care companies in the UK that would allow 1 or 2 operators to use these machines manually. The risk to the owners freedom would be to high. If they are then i would recon that it would be the most experienced operators who would be working them, not unskilled immigrants.

 

 

But there's the rub. All a tree service owner needs to do is put X amount training costs into that eager immigrant, sufficient to gain certification and pass muster.

 

Until it becomes illegal to send out solo WTC operators on the job, or have one man feeding them alone?

 

My hands on experience with WTC's over the years is that not allowing solo WTC operations on my crews saved four fine treeworkers lives.

 

Funny how me OSHA and Morbark all kinda have come to the same conclusion that solo chipper operations ain't too smart. That having two or more operators workin together really does save lives on the jobsite.

 

Jomoco

[Gnome]

Your obviously ahead of your industry:thumbup1:. I would say that not everything has to be legal to make it safe and make it standard practice.

 

Again don't know how you guys do your risk assessments etc. But if something could quite easily kill you I would be putting measures in to reduce the likelyhood, severity.

 

As for the eager immigrant or any worker for that matter. If you are trained to do the job and you don't follow the rules and practices of the training then it's your own fault. Sure there can be freak accidents outwith anyones control but there is usually operator error involved in most accidents if i'm not mistaken.

 

Unless you are being held at gunpoint you can always walk away from a job.

[jomoco]

The very Morbark link Difflock was kind enough to provide, that very operator safety system itself, being available on their big chippers today, is in fact a mfr's admission that their product can eat its operator alive, hence the sensor field just prior to the hydraulic feedwheels.

 

What's the system for if proper training will suffice? Could it possibly be that even highly trained pros at times get exhausted and make mistakes too?

 

But climbers get second chances as an industry standard cuz they're special compared WTC operators?

 

Sounds more like industry sanctioned discrimination to me!

 

Jomoco

[Taupotreeman]

But there's the rub. All a tree service owner needs to do is put X amount training costs into that eager immigrant, sufficient to gain certification and pass muster.

 

Until it becomes illegal to send out solo WTC operators on the job, or have one man feeding them alone?

 

My hands on experience with WTC's over the years is that not allowing solo WTC operations on my crews saved four fine treeworkers lives.

 

Funny how me OSHA and Morbark all kinda have come to the same conclusion that solo chipper operations ain't too smart. That having two or more operators workin together really does save lives on the jobsite.

 

Jomoco

 

The guy that fed his leg into the chipper here in NZ probably wouldn't be here if it wasnt for the other guy on site. The feed rollers had him, no last chance cords, what was he going to be able to do?

 

The full Work Safe incident report hasnt been released so i don't know the full details of who was at fault but from what I have heard from third parties, it was a combination. Operator error (read stupid bloody idiot) along with the company removing design safety features such as the feed tray.

 

We have a local outfit here who hand feed an 18 inch Bandit. Makes me shudder.

[skyhuck]

The very Morbark link Difflock was kind enough to provide, that very operator safety system itself, being available on their big chippers today, is in fact a mfr's admission that their product can eat its operator alive, hence the sensor field just prior to the hydraulic feedwheels.

 

What's the system for if proper training will suffice? Could it possibly be that even highly trained pros at times get exhausted and make mistakes too?

 

But climbers get second chances as an industry standard cuz they're special compared WTC operators?

 

Sounds more like industry sanctioned discrimination to me!

 

Jomoco

 

 

If a climber cuts his line or stick his saw into himself and bleeds out, how will a second climber on site help him?????????

 

The second climber is there for rescue after the accident, not accident prevention.