Rancho Tree Service: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jul 22, 2019 (fatal): Employee is electrocuted while trimming tree limbs

At 11:29 a.m. on July 22, 2019, A foreman (Employee #1) and two other coworkers were in engaged tree trimming activities to clear over head high voltage lines. Employee #1 was elevated approximately 41 feet high on a bucket truck to clear tree branches with a insulated pole pruner. While repositioning the bucket, Employee #1's right shoulder came into contact with a 16kV line. Employee #1 was electrocuted.

Incident on Sep 21, 2011: Employee gets a hand injury with a stump cutter

On September 21, 2011 Employee #1 of Rancho Tree Service came into contact with the cutter wheel of a Vermeer SC-252 Stump Cutter (grinder) resulting in the amp utation of four fingers on his right hand. Employee #1 completed grinding the ne ar side of a four-foot stump and needed to advance the machine over the accumula tion of chips (product of grinding). As previously observed by another coworker Employee #1 used his hands to clear the chips. The cutter head was displaced to the far left of center, causing the cutter wheel to be very close to the tire. E mployee #1 reached beyond the tire to clear the grindings and his hand came into contact with the operating cutter wheel. Employee #1 did not demonstrate knowle dge of the manufacturer's procedures for the safe removal of chips and denied be ing provided any training for hazards to which he would be exposed.