Tree Care Incorporated: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Feb 14, 2013: Tree worker fractures vertebrae in fall from tree

On February 14, 2013, Employee #1 was working as a tree climber. He was on his t hird day on the job with his employer, but, as he told an inspector, he had twel ve years' experience climbing. He was about 30 feet (9.1 meters) up in a tree, a ttempting to reposition his climbing line so that he could go higher. Because of branches in his way, he could not make the throw with his throw ball to the des ired location from the ground. Instead, he had to go part way up and then reposi tion his climbing line. After he was aloft, he trimmed a few small branches with a hand saw. Then he attempted to throw his climbing line to a higher crotch. Fo r some reason, Employee #1 lost his balance and fell to the ground. It was not k nown why his Flipline safety lanyard was not around the tree. Witnesses who came to assist saw only one end of the Flipline connected to his tree worker's saddl e. A coworker called emergency medical services. Employee #1 was taken to UC Dav is Hospital in Sacramento, where he spent five days for treatment of his compres sed and fractured vertebrae. Employee #1 was off work for several months. His em ployer and the Sacramento Fire Department reported the incident that same day.

Incident on May 3, 1997: Employee injured when aerial lift failed mechanically

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on May 3, 1997, Employee #1 of Tree Care Incorporated was operating an aerial lift. The bucket was elevated to approximately 50 feet when the linkage of the articulating boom failed and let the last section of the boom and the bucket free fall onto the back bed of the truck. Employee #1 was d riven down onto the controls and the lip of the bucket with his chest and upper body. Employee #1 sustained a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, broken ribs, a broken ankle, and broken bones in his hands.