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I'm Barb Deschenes, Investigating Officer with WorkSafeBC. Rootwads that have dislodged
suddenly or in unexpected ways have killed or injured many fallers. I'm going to walk
you through an investigation into one of these incidents.
A faller was preparing to fall some remaining trees at the edge of a cutblock. Just uphill
lay a blown-down tree or windfall. It was suspended between two trees with its rootwad
supported on a narrow ledge at the base of a cliff. Earlier that day, the faller had
told the Bullbucker that he had to take down the windfall before he could safely fall the
remaining trees.
To remove the windfall, the faller climbed onto the ledge. Can you see a way out? That's
right, there's no safe escape route.
The faller began to buck the tree. Before he could complete his second bucking cut,
the tree broke at the cut. No longer restrained by the standing timber, the tree's rootwad
rolled off the ledge. The tree pivoted crushing the faller against the cliff.
Co-workers quickly initiated an emergency plan. Unfortunately, the faller didn't survive
his injuries.
The tree should not have been bucked in place. There was a helicopter available to reposition
the tree to a safe bucking area. Other alternatives included blasting or creating a no-work zone.
But hindsight is 20/20. Before this accident, if you looked at the tree, what would say
to you "Do Not Buck"? These are the danger signs we found:
One: There was no safe escape route. The ledge was not a safe place to buck a tree. With
vertical drop-offs to the front and sides, and the rock face to the rear, there were
no viable escape routes. Don't buck a tree if you can't create a safe escape route.
Two: The rootwad sat next to a steep drop-off. The heavy mass of rock embedded in its roots
could mislead you to believe that the rootwad would stay in place after the tree was bucked.
Gravity, a constant hazard when falling, was ready to pull it down.
Three: The tree was under tension. Trees wedged between standing timber are subject to various
forms of bind or tension. Using special saw cuts in a specific order may eliminate or
reduce bind enough to safely buck a tree. However, here the release of the bind enabled
the heavy rootwad to move and cause a deadly chain reaction.
Four: A pivot point. This one critical element enabled the rootwad, instead of simply dropping
downwards, to pivot the tree into the faller.
This accident could have been prevented. The regulation requires every person in a forestry
operation who has knowledge and control of any particular activity to ensure that the
activity is both planned and conducted safely.
Supervisors or bullbuckers must do a walk-through of cutblocks to identify and document hazards
and the methods to handle them. They must provide fallers with a safe falling and bucking
plan.
Fallers must also conduct their own falling and/or bucking assessment of the site and
of the individual tree hazards. Notify your supervisor of falling difficulties so appropriate
measures can be taken.
Never underestimate the danger of windfalls and rootwads. Before falling or bucking, carefully
evaluate hazards for all the potential risks. Don't start the work unless it can be done
safely.