WHITE OAK TREE SERVICES

Employee is killed in fall from tree

At 10:45 a.m. on November 8, 2021, Employee #1 was cutting down branches in an oak tree that was being removed from a residential property. Employee #1 had finished cutting down the smaller branches on the main section of the tree. The next section to be cut was a large branch toward the bottom of the tree that was leaning approximately 70 degrees. Employee #1 assisted with rigging a bull rope that was attached to the lower branch. The rope was placed through some branches at the top of the tree in an attempt to lower and pivot the large branch that was being cut. As the lower branch was cut, the top portion of the tree broke and fell to the ground with the employee. Employee #1 fell approximately 35 feet to a concrete surface and sustained blunt force trauma to the head and body; he was pronounced dead on the scene. The rigging point did not have the structural integrity to withstand the weight and force of the branch being cut. The employee was not removed from the tree prior to cutting the lower branch, and an alternate means of removing the tree when there was evidence of decay was not utilized.