After four recent deaths involving tree trimmers on the job, Cal/OSHA is pushing a safety campaign: The organization is reminding companies to train workers in hopes to avoid more fatalities.
According to a recent press release from Cal/OSHA the four tree-trimming deaths under investigation include:
- a worker in Mariposa County who was struck by a branch on Dec. 1, 2015
- a worker in San Bernardino County who suffocated when dry palm fronds collapsed and trapped him on Dec. 4, 2015
- a worker in Los Angeles County who fell about 60 feet when the branch he was tethered to broke on Jan. 6, 2016
- a worker in Siskiyou County who was struck by the tree he was cutting to clear power lines on Jan. 9, 2016
Due to tree trimming being a dangerous job, Cal/OSHA hopes those who are using unsafe practices will change and comply before it is too late. Destiny Tree Company owner Larry Isaac says he has been trimming trees over half of his life.
"It isn't easy, it takes a lot of patience and strength, a lot of stamina," Isaac said, "People think that you don't have to have any brain power to do it but you go 90 feet up and 40 feet out".
It's a very scary job and Isaac said you have to trust your ropes. He said he climbs up to 200 feet and occasionally accidents do happen.
"One time I fell on a saw and got 200 stitches, cut through my fat my muscle my skin," Isaac told us.
He said he prays every time he goes up in a tree. He has heard about people dying on job.
"I have and it all goes back to negligence, if the crew captain is up on his guys and knows what they are doing then it should never happen, only if the tree does something weird it should be safe," Isaac said.
Cal/OSHA said they are investigating nearly 70 accidents and 12 deaths involving tree work in the two-year span between Oct. 2014 and Sept. 2016. The agency is promoting tree work safety in hopes others will be more like Larry Issac.
"We do the best we can for what Cal/OSHA wants," he added.