The surveyor had just finished throwing her last plot of the day when the wind picked up. She marked the plot center and pocketed her marker. The cool fall wind, which had been consistent all day now suddenly picked up as the clouds moved in threatening rain or snow. ‘Perfect timing’ she thought as she turned and began picking her way through the block back to the truck. Now that it was late October, her boss wanted the crew to be off the bush roads before dark. At this time of year daylight faded quickly and the area was prone to sudden weather changes. The radio crackled to life “You planning on spending the night? Let’s go!” From high on the block she could see her partner Sam was already back at the truck. “Yeah, yeah I’m coming. Looks like just in time too. I think it might snow.” She replied. There was a brief pause then Sam was back on “Yeah, I couldn’t hear any of that with the wind. Just hurry up”
She picked her way down the hill and headed towards where the truck was parked at the block entrance. Sam was sitting on the tailgate as she approached. She reached the top of the embankment and started down to the road when a sharp snap caught her attention. Turning to face the treeline she saw a spruce branch had broken free and was sailing towards her. She ducked instinctively as the branch swept past and landed heavily on the road between her and Sam. “Holy geez!” Sam exclaimed “Let’s get out of here before the rest of the tree comes down too!”
Overhead hazards are an issue for all forestry workers - whether you are a field tech working alongside a retention patch, a log hauler removing wrappers from a load or an equipment operator leaving the cab to perform an inspection.
He had gotten an early start that morning and hoped to avoid the heavy traffic the 600 Road had seen that week. It would be a long day of driving since there were a couple of hours between each of the blocks he planned to visit. He started to mentally run through the list of blocks and was reminded he had to check in with the tire shop when he got back to town and while he was at it he should double check on the parts they had ordered for the buncher. Slowing for a corner, he called his kilometers as a loaded logging truck appeared around the bend. ‘Better move a little further off the road’ he thought as he maneuvered the truck towards the shoulder. Nothing happened. He had no steering control. He gritted his teeth as the truck veered right and headed for the ditch, bouncing roughly off the road. He rolled to a stop and climbed out shaken.
“Hey man, are you ok?” It was the logging truck driver, who had seen him go off the road and stopped. “Yeah, I’m alright I guess. I just don’t know what happened. One minute I was fine, the next I couldn’t steer worth nothin’. ” The truck driver pointed to the front end of the truck, “Well that could be why” The far side tire was splayed off to the right while the left one pointed straight ahead. “Looks like a tie rod failure. Happened to another guy just last week up the Huckleberry. They just don’t make ‘em the way they used to.”
Our crew trucks take a beating by putting in a lot of miles on rough bush roads or difficult access to blocks which can put additional stress on the components and lead to an unexpected failure.
Cable yarding is a common practice in British Columbia forests, particularly in coastal operations where it is estimated that 70% of the harvest is by cable yarding. In the Interior where mountainous terrain is common, operations use cable yarding as an alternative to ground based systems.
While there are nearly as many types of yarding configurations as there are trees in the forest, a yarder tip over is a common risk for all.
Because of the enormous tension heavy loads place on the yarder, tree’s and anchors; cable yarding failures are very dangerous. When a tailhold tree or stump fails it can destabilize the yarder. Yarders can weigh up to 120 tonnes and may seem incredibly steady but the forces applied when pulling a turn of logs, tensioning guylines or operating from an unstable surface can easily topple this equipment.
A yarder tip over often results in serious injury or death.
A bear sighting is one of the benefits of working in the bush. Knowin
g how to respond to an encounter will help to keep you safe when traveling on foot through the forest. In two recently posted safety alerts forestry workers in British Columbia encountered their furry co-workers (and we aren’t talking about those with play-off beards!) and used their knowledge and the company safe work practices to avoid an incident.
Four doors slammed, the five tired and hungry surveying crew members buckled up for the drive home. One of the passengers in the rear drummed on the seat in front of him “Let’s go man, the puck drops at 7. The Canucks are going to win it tonight and I want to watch the whole thing!” The crew started discussing the upcoming game as the driver fired up the F350 and started the two hour drive back to town. As the drive wore on the conversation in the cab lagged and one by one the crew fell asleep.
In 2007 the industry suffered a fatality in which an equipment operator was killed after suffering head trauma following a rollover. In 2010 a number of incidents reported to the BCFSC also mentioned that loose material inside the vehicle or cab contributed to additional injuries to the occupant.
When a vehicle or piece of equipment is being operated under normal conditions the unsecured loads may present a minimal hazard. However, in a rollover situation these loads can make a dangerous incident deadly.
Rollovers are more likely to happen on a gravel road than on paved surfaces. Since the majority of forestry work requires driving on resource roads, extra care is required.
It was a routine top up of fluids. The crews had been going hard and were nearing the end of a shift and the end of the week. At 3:30am the Skidder operator readied himself to face the cold, he was tired from the pace of the week and the -30C weather was an unwelcome companion as he grabbed a can of hydraulic fluid and stepped out of the warm cab.
The Skidder had plenty of handholds and, with 10 + years of experience, the operator was careful to maintain 3 points of contact as he hauled himself up the machine. When the maintenance was completed, he climbed back down. As he took the last step down onto the blade he turned and released his hand hold. There was very little traction on the last step and in an instant, his feet came out from underneath and he fell backwards, striking his back on the lowered blade and breaking several ribs. A processor operator working nearby witnessed the fall and alerted the rest of the crew for help.
Everyone wipes out now and then…
Those clumsy guys are the only ones who have any injuries…
It’s the bush, falling is a fact of life out here!
On a cold morning in December a worker climbed into the cab of a John Deere processor in the South eastern part of the province. The thermometer read -22C, it was early morning and Christmas was a few short days away. The worker had completed an inspection of the equipment and started work for the day. He was working through the timber, multi-stemming, so he rotated the head backwards for better visibility, at this point it was thought the chain got pinched among the tops and broke. Read more >>
It was December 21st, 2009; and the whole crew was looking forward to taking a few days off to celebrate Christmas. A feller buncher operator was starting to cut the boundary on a new block. Just above the road a few trees dotted a short steep pitch of frozen ground that was covered with a light skiff of snow. The existing ice lugs on the buncher’s tracks were getting worn down and didn’t really have enough depth to dig in through the duff. The operator considered leaving the few trees for a hand faller, or coming back later once the welder was able to “cork up” his machine. Read more >>
For many employers, crew transportation to and from forestry worksites is likely the most hazardous part of their operations. During the 2010 tree planting season, several silviculture companies experienced significant motor vehicle accidents. Each incident possessed significant potential for serious losses or fatalities. Read more >>
A number of recent reports highlight the risk of incidents involving mobile equipment upsets or “flop-overs.” In some cases, what might have seemed relatively minor events turned serious when equipment operators couldn’t get out of their machine to safety.
Most pieces of mobile equipment have at least two ways to get out of the cab when there is an emergency – the main door to the cab and a secondary escape hatch, often on the roof. But what happens when the both the main door and the escape hatch don’t work as intended? Read more >>
Being in the bight is a way of saying that where a worker is located exposes them to risk. Staying in the clear, or avoiding the bight, is important to continually monitor. Over time, workers can become complacent with their surroundings or tasks, and that can result in increased risk.
Being careful to make sure you and your co-workers are always in the clear is necessary to ensure everyone can complete their tasks and make it home safely at the end of the shift. Read more >>
Approximately one third of all tree planting and cone picking claims submitted to WSBC from 1997 to 2001 were classified as overexertion or repetitive motion injuries. Silviculture workers such as tree planters are predisposed to this type of injury because of the repetitive nature of their work. Others who may benefit from the information in this alert include firefighters, surveyors, nursery workers, equipment operators, manual tree fallers and others whose jobs involve repeated physical motion. Read more >>
So far, 2010 has been a bad year for trucker safety. To date, there have been three reported fatalities, and, with much of the year still ahead, anyone involved in hauling logs or other material or equipment on resource roads needs to take note. Read more >>
The first step in worker safety is to identify hazards and risks. Continual and effective risk assessments are part of staying safe on and off the job. RADAR is a safety process developed in the forest industry Read more>>
Every year in BC, avalanches cause injuries and death, usually to recreational backcountry users, but sometimes to forestry workers. In November 2009 a Coroner’s Death Review Panel was convened to examine a number of avalanche-related deaths. The panel’s report highlighted the importance of improving “... Read more>>
Black ice can send even the most experienced driver sliding on what seems like a dry road. The road looks bare, so the driver sees no reason, literally, to avoid normal driving speeds. Black ice is nearly invisible. It develops as a sheet on road surfaces when snow melts and freezes again, or when rain Read more >>
Forestry employers and workers can find information and resources to help beat seasonal hazards in the Council's online Winter Safety Package. It delivers information on safety issues involving Workers, Transportation, Machinery and Facilities. Read more >>
If your company is returning to work after being inactive for an extended time, it's important to review your safety policies and procedures to ensure that you meet SAFE Company requirements as well as WorkSafeBC regulations. This includes first aid, which depends on Read more >>
The annual freeze-up is taking hold across most of the province, and timber harvesting and hauling is resuming on resource roads and bridges. As traffic volumes build Read more >>
British Columbia is a vast province with varied resource road systems. Their surfaces range from solid rock to frozen muskeg, with just about everything in between. But despite the differences, all resource roads have one thing in common: they can be extremely dangerous. Read more >>
Continuing our series on transportation of workers, this alert focuses on aircraft. There are two options: fixed-wing aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft. Many of the same safety rules and regulations apply to both types of aircraft, although each type has different capabilities Read more >>
Many workers in the forest industry work on, or are transported to and from work on water. This includes workers as passengers in crew boats, and workers being transported in vehicles on barges. Tragically, too many workers in British Columbia have lost their lives as a result of Read more >>
There have been too many fatalities and serious injuries in the forest industry as a result of a failure to effectively immobilize equipment. Between 2006 and 2008 there were a total of 44 fatalities in harvesting. 20 % of these Read more>>
Fire season is here. Low snow packs and a build-up of fuel on the forest floor are contributing factors in what has already been a busy year for forest fires. Since April, provincial fire crews have responded to 335 fires, 96 per cent of which were caused by people. Read more >>
In the next few months up to 7,000 seasonal silviculture workers will start travelling on roads and working on sites around the province. Tragically in 2008, three silviculture field workers died on the job. The start of BC’s Read more >>
A certified faller with several years of experience was falling trees along a highway with the assistance of an excavator. The faller and the excavator operator were using the excavator’s rake to control and guide the felled trees to the ground. During the process of falling a 14” alder Read more >>
