05.10.2016

Another tree trimmer fatality

A man trimming trees from a truck mounted work platform, in Schoolcraft, south of Kalamazoo, Michigan was thrown out of the basket on Monday, after a tree limb struck the boom as it dell, causing a catapult effect.

The man, Ronald Lee Phillips, 49, of Phillips Tree Service in Three Rivers, was catapulted out of the platform, falling around 17 metres to his death. According to local police he was not wearing a harness or lanyard.
He was declared dead at the scene. One of his sons was working with him when the incident occurred.

Michigan OSHA is investigating the incident. A police statement said: "The investigation determined that Phillips was not wearing a safety harness at the time of the accident. It appears that a portion of the tree that was being removed fell in an unexpected way causing Ronald Phillips to fall from a height of 50 feet."