142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Analysis of OSHA investigation reports of fatalities in the tree care industry

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 1:06 PM - 1:18 PM

Maria T. Bulzacchelli, PhD , Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA
Alex K. Julius, M.S. , International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, IL
Background/Purpose: Tree care operations expose workers to injury risks from falling, being struck by trees or tree limbs, electrocution, contact with machinery, and transportation incidents, resulting in a fatality rate more than three times the rate for all industries.  Certain safety practices can reduce the risk of serious injury or death during tree care operations.  The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publishes a consensus standard for tree care operations (ANSI Z133.1).  However, compliance with the ANSI standard is far from universal.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections and citations may improve compliance with safety standards, but OSHA has no standard specifically for tree care.  OSHA can cite violations of standards that apply to certain tree care situations or violations of the General Duty Clause.  The purpose of this study is to identify the standards cited by OSHA, given that a fatality has occurred in the tree care industry.

Methods: A descriptive study of OSHA fatality investigations was conducted.  Fatalities were identified using OSHA's online Accident Investigation Search tool.  A total of 812 reports from incidents occurring from 1984 to 2010 in the tree care industry (SIC 0783) were analyzed.

Results/Outcomes: Frequencies of the various standards cited and the circumstances surrounding the fatalities associated with those citations will be presented.  Circumstances surrounding any fatalities not leading to citations will also be discussed.

Conclusions: OSHA fatality investigation reports can provide insight into OSHA's enforcement strategy for a hazardous industry without a specific OSHA safety standard and identify opportunities for improved enforcement.

Learning Areas:

Occupational health and safety
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
List standards cited by OSHA when investigating fatalities in the tree care industry. Describe common circumstances of fatalities occurring during tree care operations.

Keyword(s): Occupational Health and Safety, Violence & Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where I teach a graduate course on injury prevention. I hold a Ph.D. in Health and Public Policy with a concentration in injury control from Johns Hopkins University. I have been awarded federal contracts to study injury problems, and I have authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed publications related to injury prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4237.0: Occupational injuries