TCIA Fatality And Near Miss Report

We kindly ask that you take time to review the incident(s) below and consider using it as a basis for, or incorporation into, a tailgate safety meeting. You may also consider posting the notice in your shop.

It is our hope that you will take some action with this notice as you deem appropriate for your company.

The following was reported by a TCIA member, and is not a TCIA statement:

Seasoned owner/operator of a tree service seriously injured when his bucket failed on him

Grand Junction, Colorado

A seasoned owner/operator of a tree service in Grand Junction that seriously got injured when his bucket failed him. Then name of the company is Tree-R-Us. Here is what we heard happened: Mike Hines sustained four broken ribs, two fractured vertebrae and his face was “sheared” from going down the concrete wall of the building when his bucket truck collapsed. The upper boom of the bucket landed on a dumpster, keeping it from hitting and possibly killing one of his workers. He was strapped in to the bucket and they said that was what saved him. The truck was “pretty old” and it is not known if it was regularly inspected.

This was reported June 25, 2017.

The following is from the news report, and is not a TCIA statement:

Tree cutter seriously injured in 30 foot fall

Lowell, Massachusetts

A man cutting limbs from a tree was seriously injured Saturday afternoon when he fell approximately 30 feet, Lowell Police said.

This report was published July 9, 2017 by masslive.com Full Report.

The following is from the news report, and is not a TCIA statement:

Man hurt in fall from tree

Caseville, Michigan

The owner of an area tree trimming business was injured Friday when the tree he was taking down abruptly fell before he had anticipated.

This report was published July 11, 2017 by Huron Daily Tribune. Full Report.

By the Numbers

Tree Care Related Incidents 2016

Report an Accident or Close Call

Have you heard about a recent accident or near miss (close call) in your area? Please email Peter at peter@tcia.org and describe the event. We will include it in our reporting. Stay safe!

Most incidents will have enough information and photos or videos to facilitate safety discussions with employees. Some may only be a notification of fatality with limited details, but will help to remind employees of how critical safety is in the tree care industry. You may also review the next issue of TCI Magazine for a full list of accident briefs for the month.

Please note: The incidents chosen for notification are only a sample of events and are related directly to commercial tree care. They involve fatalities, and on occasion near misses with rescues. We believe they will help you facilitate safety awareness and training. They will not and cannot cover all incidents affecting commercial tree care.

If you are not sure how to use this information for safety training or want to learn about TCIA’s safety training program, call us at 800-733-2622.