At this cutblock a faller would try to overcome
a dangerous falling difficulty by himself. Tragedy would soon follow. The cutblock consisted of a mix of different
trees including balsam, fir, and cedar. About 25 large dead western red cedars were
scattered throughout it. Although these created foreseeable hazards, there was no specific plan to deal with them. The faller had encountered one of the dead
cedars. With its split trunk, stem damage, and rotten
roots, it was a danger tree -- hazardous to the
faller because of its physical deterioration. Three green trees stood in a row next to the
danger tree. One of the green trees was limb-tied with
it, and up above was a widow-maker - a cedar shard hung up in the canopy. The faller faced a triple threat: A danger tree, tied limbs, and a widow-maker. The expectation for the cutblock was to fall
all the danger trees -- manually, unless a faller thought it was
unsafe. The night before the incident,
the faller, we'll call Faller 1, discussed the danger tree with Faller 2. Faller 2 offered to look at the problem the
next day, but Faller 1 said he could deal with it and
would take his time. The next day Faller 1 made cuts and placed
wedges in the three green trees, so he could use two of them to push over the
third. He drove in the last wedge. The trees began to fall. Faller 1 retreated to his escape route partially
protected behind two cedars. The widow-maker harpooned into the ground. The tied limbs dislodged a 500 pound slab
from the danger tree, which struck the faller. He would not survive his injuries. The B.C. Faller Training Standard says to
stop work, seek qualified assistance,
and consider alternative falling methods if the second of two limb-tied trees is a danger
tree. Qualified assistance wasn't easily available. The Site Supervisor, overloaded with duties,
was seldom at the cutblock during the workday. No bullbucker who would act as a local supervisor
was assigned to the site. And, paid by the hectare,
any faller who provided assistance would be slowed down and would make less money. Blasting was a possible alternative. However, it wasn't typical practice. There was no specific procedure for blasting, or for assessing danger trees for their suitability for blasting. The last time it was done, a faller had to make the arrangements
to have the tree blasted himself. It took two days. Fallers: Ask your supervisor or bullbucker for assistance
with falling difficulties. Employers: Make alternative methods available for removing
danger trees too hazardous to fall manually. Plan ahead. Before having fallers work a cutblock, identify the hazards
and have plans in place to deal with them. And when hazards arise that aren't in the
plan, have the resources available to help fallers
formulate a solution. Make sure that, unlike what happened with
Faller 1, they don't go it alone.
as bad as these incidents/fatalities are i like how these WorkSafeBC youtube break it down and spread understanding, every one i have watched keeps me more vigilant and aware, and more protective of all my fellow tree workers, a very bittersweet thing.
Interesting video.
Very interesting video. Thank you for sharing.