Accident: 656173 - Knee Bruised In Same-Level Fall

Employee #1 was assigned to adjust some stock at the top of a pallet, which required that he be raised from a guarded work platform. He had on a full body harness and was attached by a lanyard and chain to the top rail of the guardrail system. This allowed Employee #1 to exit the work platform and climb onto the pallet to adjust the stock. He was standing on the pallet when a piece of wood broke and he fell through up to his crotch. Employee #1 sustained bruises to his knee.

fall, pallet, equipment failure, knee, contusion, elevated work plat, board

Accident: 740621 - Sawyer Injured When Board Kicks Back

On July 29, 1999, Employee #1, a sawyer for a manufacturer of wood trusses, was using a short 2-by-4 to stop a web saw blade that was winding down. The board caught a bolt head on the blade and was kicked back. It struck him in the abdomen and knocked him down. Employee #1 sustained internal bleeding, for which he was hospitalized.

sawyer, blade, caught by, kick back, struck by, board, abdomen, work rules, flying object

Accident: 170572259 - Dies After Being Knocked Off Platform

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on March 23, 1999, Employee #1 was straightening boards on a table that was three-quarters full. A board came off the return conveyor and struck the end of the board that Employee #1 was holding. This board struck Employee #1 in the abdomen, causing him to double over and stumble backward. He fell between the rails of the guarded platform, dropping 9 ft 7 in. to the concrete floor. Employee #1 suffered severe skull fractures. He was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later of injuries sustained in the accident.

elevated work plat, struck by, board, housekeeping, fall, skull, fracture, work rules, lost balance

Accident: 14293062 - Killed When Struck By Dislodged Board

Employee #1 was helping a coworker to unjam a board that had become wedged between a guardrail and a conveyor. When the board dislodged, it struck Employee #1 in the head. He was killed.

struck by, head, jammed, board, ejected, conveyor, flying object

Accident: 170361422 - Injures Shoulder When Pulling And Stacking Lumber

During the first week of March 1997, Employee #1, who worked as a chain puller in the rip department of a lumber mill, was pulling rough lumber off the chain and stacking it by width when he started experiencing a burning pain in his left shoulder. He sustained a serious injury that required shoulder surgery. Several attempts were made during a one-year period to heal the injury, including the employer assigning Employee #1 to a modified work routine, but the injury recurred each time. Employee #1 continued on modified duty until he was placed on disability in April 1998.

lumber, sawmill, manual mat handling, lumber stack, shoulder, board

Accident: 170006597 - Killed When Struck By Flying Board

On February 14, 1998, Employee #1 was struck in the chest by a 10 ft long, 1 by 6 board that had been caught and thrown approximately 45 ft by a trim saw. He died the next day from his injuries.

flying object, board, struck by, chest, ejected

Accident: 170361455 - Injures Shoulder While Working At Sawmill

On January 8, 1998, Employee #1, who worked in the planer department of a small sawmill, was using a picaroon to jab 4 ft long by 6 ft wide boards at the top and pull them off the chain. He began experiencing severe pain in his left shoulder and had to stop work. Employee #1 performed restricted duties for the next several months until November 11, 1998, when he decided to have exploratory surgery. He has not worked since the operation. Prior to his injury, Employee #1 had occasionally worked in the re-saw department of the mill, picking and pulling 4 ft long by 6 ft wide boards at the re-saw chain.

shoulder, sawmill, manual mat handling, lumber, board

Accident: 170361380 - Injures Back While Stacking Lumber

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on October 1, 1997, Employee #1, a chain puller in the planing department of a major sawmill, was pulling lumber and stacking it by length. He started pulling off greater amounts with each motion, and was stacking three 8 ft long by 1 in. wide by 12 in. tall boards at once when he twisted his back. He immediately experienced back pain but finished his shift. Employee #1 then took a sick day and returned to work on limited duty, but the problem continued. A medical exam and an MRI revealed a ruptured disc. He underwent back surgery on October 22, 1997, and was released from the hospital two days later, followed by several weeks for recuperation. In the period leading up to the accident, Employee #1 apparently thought he was falling behind in pulling lumber off the chain.

back, lumber, board, manual mat handling, lumber stack, sawmill

Accident: 200961118 - Injured When Struck On Head By Flying Board

Employee #1, age 18, and coworkers were unloading 3 in. wide by 23 in. long rough-cut boards coming off the conveyor onto an approximately 30 in. high by 96 ft long table. The materials on the belt backed up, and one of the boards flew off and struck Employee #1 on the head. She sustained a 1 in. cut on the top of her head that required two stitches to close. Employee #1 was taken to the hospital and released the same day.

board, off loading, flying object, struck by, head, laceration, conveyor, conveyor belt