BC Forest Safety Council - Safety Alerts

[Scooter]

Safety Alert - Fatality - 2015-10-14 - Worker

On October 14th, a worker was fatally injured when the heavy duty truck he was working under rolled over him. This incident occurred in the Ladysmith area on Vancouver Island. WorkSafeBC and the Coroners Service are investigating the incident and the results will be released as soon as possible.

Although the details of this recent incident are still unknown, review the following general safety information:

- Workers should be qualified to undertake the work. This means that they are knowledgeable about the hazards related to the work and the steps needed to eliminate or control those hazards. Supervisors must assess workers to make sure they are qualified and if not, get the work done by someone who is.
- When performing maintenance work, follow the appropriate lock out procedures. When performing extensive maintenance, or disassembling machinery, be aware that the regular lockout procedures and tactics may not be effective.
- Gravity is a hazardous energy source that is often not identified. Think how gravity may cause objects to roll, shift or fall. Blocking of raised equipment and chocking of wheels on mobile equipment are reasonable precautions.
- After a serious incident, close supervision may be needed as some workers will have difficulty focusing on their work. Before work is started up again, a thorough review of safe work procedures can help keep operations on track and safe.
- Mental health problems may result if the stress from a critical incident is not managed appropriately. Seek professional counselling help for workers who are having difficulties.

[jdtesluk]

Same thing could easily happen to someone changing a flat on a 350, or a crummy. Block your wheels, ensure you have failsafes to prevent your vehicle from coming down on you. Many people place the flat tire under the axle until the change is complete.

Always sad to read these.

[Scooter]

Many people place the flat tire under the axle until the change is complete.

Might also be wise to consider sliding a large piece of solid slash under the axle before trying to pull the flat off. That's possibly the most risky part of the change, in my experience, because you're usually really pulling hard to get that tire off after having been too lazy to jack it up so that it's fully cleared from contact with the ground.

[jdtesluk]

Yup, great idea. Or, have the spare under the axle as you pull off the flat.
Not quite practical to carry jackstands with all the other gear already in the truck. But many ways to improvise to provide extra safety. Also good to have a spotter if you're not alone.
Common best practice for log haulers is to always call in if you are out of your truck to adjust your load or do maintenance. That way if something goes wrong, someone know where you are. Similar thing makes sense if changing a wheel.

[Scooter]

Another Safety Alert:

Forestry consultant seriously injured in Mountain Pine Beetle stand

A forestry consultant was struck by a falling tree while flagging a proposed road location in a stand dominated by dead, beetle killed pine. The worker was airlifted to hospital where it was determined that he had spinal, pelvic and shoulder fractures along with several broken bones in his foot.

On the morning of July 9th the worker and his co-worker entered the block to start locating roads and boundaries. The air was calm, with no significant breeze at any time. At approximately 9:10 am, the worker was flagging his proposed road location when he heard a tree “crack”. He knew it was close but could not identify its location so he attempted to hunker down beside a larger tree for protection. A deadfall pine, approximately 40cm in diameter (DBH), caught him in the back and pinned him to the ground, knocking his hard hat off and his radio out of his vest pocket. He knew he was hurt and needed to call for help so he scrambled out from underneath the tree, retrieved his radio, and called his co-worker for assistance.

The co-worker was approximately 500m away. He proceeded to the injured workers location, and stabilized the worker. He then departed to the pickup where the satellite phone was located.

The co-worker reached the pickup and contacted the company’s main office approximately 10:00 am. At this time BC Ambulance was contacted and paramedics and the local search and rescue group were dispatched to the site. The injured worker was eventually long-lined out of the woods by the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron, at approximately 8:40pm, and transported to hospital.

The total elapsed time from contact with BC Ambulance to arrival at the hospital was over 11 hours. The complications of remote location, serious injury, and the hazards associated with operating rotary wing aircraft in close proximity to dead pine stands are extremely significant and contributed to the extended evacuation time for this incident.


Mountain Pine Beetle Stands

Beetle killed stands are getting older and as a result, the trees are becoming more rotten and less stable.
Complete a risk assessment of the stand and trees before and during operations. Be ready to walk away from an area if the conditions become too risky. Danger tree awareness training is useful for workers performing these types of risk assessments.
Wind shutdown procedures should be followed when working in these stands. Anticipate that due to rot, some of these trees may come down even during calm conditions.
Watch out for large amounts of blowdown in these stands. Slips and fall incidents are common when trying to climb, walk or crawl in these types of blowdown conditions. Avoid walking on the logs as the bark may be loose or slippery.


Emergency Medical Evacuation


Practice your Emergency Response Plan at least once per year by having a realistic drill. Practice packaging and transporting an injured worker out of the bush. Document the challenges and improve your emergency procedures so you’ll be better prepared for the real thing.
If air evacuation is part of your plan, meet with the local helicopter company to discuss items like radio frequencies, geographic coordinates to use, and helicopter constraints like weather, darkness and landing areas. Make sure to discuss the hazard of unstable trees that might be blown over by the helicopter’s rotor wash.
Local expertise is very important when evacuating an injured worker. Your best knowledge of the site and hazards is with the workers who are there every day. Make sure that this info is communicated to the Emergency Services who are responding to the scene and planning the best way to evacuate the injured worker.


Additional Safety Resources:

Emergency Response Video from WorkSafeBC
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources ... ry?lang=en
Emergency response planning: 12 tips for an effective emergency response plan https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources ... ps?lang=en
PDF Print version of this safety alert
http://www.bcforestsafe.org/files/AOM_August_2016.pdf

[Scooter]

BCFSC Safety Alert of the Month: October 2016

Danger trees hitting standing timber

A special falling safety alert was mailed out to all fallers earlier this month. This is the content it contained:

So far this year we have had two falling fatalities. Both fatalities involved danger trees. While being felled, the danger trees struck standing timber causing the danger trees to either buckle or break up into small pieces, coming back and striking the fallers.

As fallers we know things seem to go in trends and the concern is this may be the start of another one. We are bringing this to your attention to raise awareness around this issue. Only the fallers making the decision can stop this from happening. All fallers should use the safe work practices listed below:

Do a full 360 assessment of a danger tree’s condition.
Is the danger tree sound enough to maintain the control of fall?
Consider whether to ask for qualified assistance for a second opinion.
Determine if an alternative method of removal is required.
Is there an adequate opening?
Make 2 escape trails behind cover if available.
Place falling cuts at a comfortable height to assist you in monitoring the top.
While using escape trail do not turn your back to falling tree.
Do not take your eyes off of the falling tree.
Be sure to let the canopy settle down before going back to stump.

Always have a good falling plan. Pay special attention to the safest sequence when removing danger trees.

Want to talk more about danger trees? Call any of the BCFSC falling safety advisors toll-free: 1-877-741-1060