Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Kentucky: Skidder Operator Thrown from Vehicle During Rollover

摘要

A 50-year-old full-time logger (the victim) was killed when the skidder he was operating rolled down a hillside. He and two other loggers were working as contracted help at the timber harvest operation site. They leased a Timberjack skidder model 450 to haul the logs. At the time of the incident, the victim was operating the skidder at the top of the hillside, winching a load of three logs up the hill. At the edge of the hillside the slope was approximately 27 percent and then dropped off sharply to 70 percent. The skidder was braced against a tree about 6 inches in diameter as the logs were pulled up the hill with a winch. Because of the weight of the skidder, the tree gave way and the skidder rolled downhill. The vehicle overturned 2-3 times before coming to rest against a group of trees approximately 200 feet downhill. As the vehicle overturned, the victim, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the cab and thrown against a tree. He was killed instantly. Coworkers summoned Emergency Medical Services, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:40 am.