02.12.2010

Tree trimming accident UK

Two men were seriously injured yesterday when their lift went over while trimming trees in Dorset, UK.

The two men, one of whom was Chris Baxter, owner of the company - The Treeguy- which is based in Blandford Forum, were airlifted to hospital with serious leg injuries after their spider lift tipped over in a garden in the village of Milborne St Andrew.

A Health and Safety Executive officer visited the site with police who said that the men had been trimming tree branches at a height of between six and 10 metres when the incident occurred.
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The scene yesterday

One of the men was airlifted to hospital in Dorchester by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, while the other was taken by the Dorset Police helicopter.

Vertikal Comment

It is hard to see what actually happened here, it is exceptionally rare for a properly set up spider lift to just ‘tip over’ it looks as though the boom was almost fully extended with the short riser fully raised.

Tree trimming is a hazardous job, even when using the right equipment and the most common cause of accidents like this is a large cut limb hitting the platform. Improper outrigger set up is of course another issue. Hopefully these two young men will keep the full use of their legs and that we can learn what happened for the benefit of others.