Worker pulled into wood chipper

Re: Worker pulled into wood

Show me a modern whole tree chipper instruction manual that doesn't state in clear language that a hand fed unit should not be operated alone Chris.

These manufacturers may be short sighted and wrong, but they're not stupid.

jomoco
 
Family of man killed by brush chipper settles

Contrary to what Jomoco stated about the lawsuits, this is usually the outcome.

In this case, the worker was misusing the chipper "His foot was caught in the chipper when he used it to try dislodging a stuck log," and they had not checked to make sure the safety features worked before using the machine, and still the chipper manufacturer had to pay.

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_113e5cbe-98a4-11de-95e7-001cc4c03286.html

The family of a Pleasant Prairie man killed three years ago in a brush chipper accident has finalized a settlement agreement with the company that made the chipper.

Jeremiah Sanders died Aug. 15, 2006, when he was using a brush chipper on a job site. His foot was caught in the chipper when he used it to try dislodging a stuck log. When Sanders realized his foot was caught, he pressed the safety bar, designed to stop the machine and prevent serious harm. The bar had a faulty ball joint, and did not work. Sanders and his co-workers were not able to stop the machine.

Sanders' family sued Morbark, Inc., the maker of the chipper, saying it was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous.

Morbark was the only brush chipper manufacturer in the world to use "a failure-prone ball-joint system" for its safety bars, according to a release from Habush Habush & Rottier, the law firm representing Sanders' family.

The lawsuit appears to have made a difference, according to Habush Habush & Rottier, as Morbark has changed the design of the safety bar attachment. Attorney Timothy S. Trecek, who represented Sanders' family, does not believe that Morbark commenced a recall, and there may still be Morbark machines in the field with the dangerous ball joint connection.

The settlement amount reached with Morbark is confidential, but it is believed to be the highest pre-trial settlement ever paid by Morbark in a products liability case.

"This settlement ensures that Mr. Sanders' children will be well provided for," Trecek said.

Messages left Thursday with Morbark were not returned.
 
Re: Worker pulled into wood

[ QUOTE ]
Show me a modern whole tree chipper instruction manual that doesn't state in clear language that a hand fed unit should not be operated alone Chris.

These manufacturers may be short sighted and wrong, but they're not stupid.

jomoco

[/ QUOTE ]

Show me one that does.

I'm looking at a Brush Bandit Model 280/280HD Whole Tree Chipper manual right now and their instructions clearly show one worker feeding the chipper (correctly, not with his feet), with no second operator around.

How many times do you work with just a ground worker around feeding the chipper while you climb?

I'll say it again. Don't blame the machine for the worker's error.
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

You don't understand law very well I guess TMW.

The case was settled out of court, no ruling by the court was made.

Morbark was wise to settle the case if indeed a faulty balljoint played a role in his death.

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

Anyone out there got a new Rayco stump grinder?

The machine shuts off when you step away from the control panel. Rayco added this safety feature due to a lawsuit filed by a guy that stuck his leg into the stump hole to clear away chips, the wheel caught his leg.


And he sued the stump grinder manufacturer
zbanghead.gif


here's a thought....

how's 'bout keeping clear of the spinning grinding wheel you friggen bonehead! No wonder the price of tree equipment has gone up so much, all the idiot proof add-ons and extra product liability.
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I can't quite believe you guys can have been around whole tree chippers very long if you can't see the wisdom of insisting two men be present to operate them.

Any company owner with such a foolish policy is playing russian roulette with an employee's life.

Any chipper over 100 hp that's hydraulically fed should have two operators feeding it.

If it's a two man crew then use a BC1000.

Again, I don't question that some of these fatalities were the direct result of gross negligence on the operator's part. What I do question is that all of them were, or that an RFID safety system couldn't have saved them despite their mistakes.

If all of us paid for our mistakes with our lives this planet would soon be barren of human life.

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I thought the operation behind the whole tree chippers was to mechanically feed them.

No reason to have two guys there if one's in a cab and away from the feed table.
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

That's very true Jim, for chippers fed mechanically, but all these fatalities were whole tree chippers being fed by hand, the vast majority of them with a single operator.

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

Jim, whole tree chippers come in different models. Some are one operator-cab enclosed grapple arm machines. Others are winch fed which can still be operated safely by one worker.
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I wonder why they have an enclosed cab on their mechanized whole tree chippers Chris?

What exactly are they protecting him from that the operator on the same sized non-mechanized chipper is exposed to?

Limbs thrashing about capable of knocking you unconscious?

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

What considered a whole tree chipper 15"s 18"s 24"s ?

We use one man chipping all the time course the guys are trianed not to stick body parts in the chute and stand to one side of the table. The blame is really on the company owners to train guys and not just trun a newbie lose with it. I'll never blame the chipper mans for pure stupidity. Whats next do we blame spike mans for making means for untrained climbers getting in the tree and killing themselves? Maybe rope makers for the inability to tie a knot right. Saddle makers for bad backs? Saw makers for loss of hearing?
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I'd say BC 1400's and up.

Anything over 12 inch that's hydraulically fed.

I know I'm not the only whole tree chipper veteran on this forum that's witnessed close calls where a second operator prevented an injury/death.

All standard safety systems in every industry were developed and enforced because humans make mistakes.


Vermeer and Morbark need to put an RFID safety system on their chippers for the same reason that Stihl and Husky put inertia chainbrakes on their saws.

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

Do they even make a 1400 anymore? I'm not sure what you have against Vermeer I belive they make one of the safest chippers on the market with the table bar to stop feed wheels pretty hard to get sucked in when the slightest bump stops the wheels.

Whats with Morbark does anyone even buy their product not even sure the last time I seen one on the street.

Still all just boils down to training not the mans, guess cranes flipping is cuase they don't make out riggers wide enough. They should make them so the computer runs the boom in the pick so no human error?
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I have been around "whole tree chippers" my whole career. Started off with 1800Xl's, then Woodsman 18XX, now we have a Woodsman 790. Some Woodsmans have grapples some do not. I havent seen one near miss in 5 years! And I honestly mean that. Our company has such a strict safety policy about chipper safety that it is almost military. Monthly there are meetings discussing tv news stories, newspapaer pictures, etc etc etc showing IDIOTS using chippers. Chippers are designed to be fed from THE SIDE.

Show me a case where a man was feeding the chipper FROM THE SIDE like the manufacturer states, and was sucked in.

I can show you cases, recent ones, where men were sucked in while co workers watched unable to help due to safety features being unhooked/disabled.

If the equipment is used as intended noone will get hurt.


And as to the comment of brush going in and someone being knocked unconscious......yes you will be hit, thrown, knocked out, cut bruised, etc if chipping in a fashion in which the manufactuerer states is dangerous. Chip from the side and no worries.
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

I kinda like that bump bar of vermeer's too Holly, but only because in order to get any real production out of their chippers equipped with it requires an additional man leaning on the over-ride/reset button the whole time the chipper's being fed. Thus pretty much guaranteeing that no-one gets chipped that day.

jomoco
 
Re: Lapaz man remembered by wife after wood chipper

Congrats on running a tight professional operation BB.

But the facts are that hundreds of less disciplined operations are pulling 1800's around and letting day laborers, temporary service workers and illegals feed them, in many cases alone.

The reality is that even some very professional operators have been killed, my friend Matt Allen was one of them back in 01.

jomoco
 
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