10.03.2016
Tree trimmer overturns platform
A man was injured yesterday after his bucket truck overturned while trimming trees in Elyria, to the west of Cleveland, Ohio.
The man, Troy Sweeney, 32, employed by Nelson Tree Service was working from a street alongside a golf course when the machines outriggers sank into soft ground, causing the platform to drop from a height of around 15 metres, the truck was prevented from completely overturning when it came to rest against the guardrail. According to the local fire and rescue service he was found close to the platform which had hit the ground. The latest word suggest that he was wearing a harness and a longer harness, and had ridden the platform down. He broke his leg and was complaining of back and neck pain.
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The platform overturned when its outriggers sank into soft ground
The truck’s boom also brought down power lines as it went over disrupting supply to the immediate area, but fortunately not causing any additional injuries to the tree trimmer.
Sherm
I also regret that Troy Sweeney was injured. Our industry has worse numbers of injuries and fatalities than we had five years ago. All of us need to reform our thinking for job planning to excel in foresight to look for every aspect that might go wrong as we plan jobs.
Sherm
Had I been in this situation I would have used oversized spreader plates or alturnamats secured to the truck bumpers or frame so they would not slide downhill for the soil side of the truck. This incident seems to have happened by a lack of job planning and a lack of intervention management. It deserves a good investigation and retraining.