Oregon logging deaths prompt toolbox talks

Portland, OR – Three preventable logging fatalities in Oregon have prompted a new set of discussion points for supervisors to share with their crews.

The Toolbox Talk Guides, developed by the Oregon Occupational Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program, are intended to help prevent similar incidents. Each guide describes one of the logging fatalities and is accompanied by guidelines and questions for crews about how the incident applies to possible hazards at their worksites.

In one example, a 41-year-old man with 15 years of logging experience was killed by a falling tree limb. The 34-foot-long tree limb was dangling between three trees, and it fell as the worker was trying to cut down one of them.

OR-FACE recommends the following discussion topics based on the incident:

• Have you seen any snagged trees or limbs or other hazards that should be discussed with your supervisor or cutting partner?
• Should other hazards be removed or controlled before you begin to fell a tree?
• What do you do when you inspect your work areas for hazards?
• Discuss a similar situation at your current site.