Connecticut Department of Labor ~ Division of Occupational Safety and Health

CONN-OSHA QUARTERLY November 2016

Wood Chipper Safety - The Basics of Doing it Right By: Bud Neal, Owner, Neal Tree Service

Wood chippers are machines that require the utmost at-tention to safety from all who use them. After all, any ma-chine that can turn several hundred pounds of solid wood into chips in a matter of seconds and then blow them out of a chute and into the back of a truck is a force to be reck-oned with. To the chipper, flesh and bone are nothing. It takes a mere blink of the eye to go from just another busy workday to a major tragedy. The difference between the two is the attention that the chipper operator, and indeed everyone around the job site, pays to safety. Basic Safety Tips Here are a few comments to help keep you in the right frame of mind regarding chipper safety. First, personal protective equipment, PPE, is your number one priority. This includes a hard hat to protect you from bumps, face protection to guard against whipping limbs and flying de-bris, eye protection and hearing protection. Baggy cloth-ing, bucket harnesses or chaps are all invitations to disas-ter, as feeding brush could snag this clothing and pull the individual in. If you are wearing a protective vest, wear the kind that breaks away. Wear snug fitting gloves. Good work boots are always a good investment, for protecting toes and ankles as well as reducing work fatigue. If your chipper came with a push paddle, make sure you have it handy and make use of it. If you don’t have one, use a longer piece of brush to push the small materials into the rollers. Do not, DO NOT, push small materials into the rollers by leaning into the feed area. Poly forks and poly shovels will also do the job - if they go through the chipper, no damage should result. The winch cable is designed to assist in dragging brush to the feed table of the chipper. It is not designed to force materials into the knives. Using the cable to help push ma-terials into the rollers is one of the ways that cables get sucked into the knives and cause damage to the machin-ery. Make sure the winch cable is drawn up when not in use. Leave no slack for in-feeding brush to grab on to and strip the cable from off the drum and into the knives. The ‘last chance’ cables are just that - if you are in danger of falling into the chipper or are even on your way in, the last chance cables are set up so that you can grab them and reverse the direction of the rollers. Not all machines have these sorts of cables. On other machines, the ‘panic bar’ serves a similar function. If your machine has last chance cables or a panic bar, be sure that they are intact and in good repair. You don’t want your last thought to be, “I was

going to fix that tomorrow”. Think of Positioning Make sure that you keep the work area safe. Proper place-ment of the chipper is important. Do not have the feed ta-ble close to the ground. Keep it as high as possible so that you do not get pulled in by the brush grabbing your feet or legs. Keep the work area clean around the chipper and especially around the feed table, so that you or others do not trip. You should avoid chipping by yourself - other co-workers should be around. Just as in tree felling, always have an avenue of escape from the chipper. If for some reason you have to go to the other side of the chipper while the chipper is in use and your feed table has brush on it, walk around the back of the brush to get to the other side. Do not leave the chipper running unattended. If you have to drag brush from around the house, turn the chipper off until you have gathered enough brush and brought it to the chipper. Then start the chipper again. A running chipper with no operator around is only asking for trouble. Do not let the homeowner or any other person not em-ployed by your company feed the chipper. Keep them a safe distance away! Remember, the chipper doesn’t think on its own. You have to do the thinking for it. Do not give up that responsibility. On disc chippers, one side of the feed table is used to feed brush, usually the right side. On many occasions, the brush will have a tendency while being fed into the chipper to slam hard left. Be aware of this possibility. Feed from the correct side so that the hydraulic transfer valve is handy. If a problem occurs, you can disengage the feed wheels. Maintenance and Training Chipper maintenance is also very important - an unmain-tained chipper is a dangerous chipper. Check the oil and water levels daily. Use a back pack blower to clean the chipper off after use. Make sure that the radiator is clean and functioning properly, to avoid overheating. Knives should be kept sharp. Bed knives should be rotated or sharpened when worn. Keep the gap between the knives and the bed knife as to close to the manufacturer specifications as possible. Have the machine serviced at

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Connecticut Department of Labor - OSHA 38 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109

November 2016 CONN-OSHA Quarterly, #86

Wood Chipper Safety...continued

the manufacturer’s recommended intervals. Grease the chipper as recommended. You will get years of service from a well-maintained chipper with sharp and properly adjusted knives. Maintenance is an investment that pays dividends. Be sure you are properly trained before using any machine, but especially a chipper. If you do not feel you are adequately trained, say so - do not work with the machine until you are comfortable. Do not fear the chipper but do respect it. Ask your boss if you have any questions - if he or she gives you a hard time, remember this it is easier to get a new boss than it is a new arm or a new leg. Always, above all, think!! If you retain only three words from this article, they should be “SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY”. Thank you.

The top photo illustrates the feed control bar and the panic bar on a chipper, while the bottom photo shows the last chance cables, also known as emergency pull ropes. These pictures are from the OSHA Safety and Health Bulletin on Wood Chippers: https://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib041608.html

Accident Statistics Regarding Wood Chippers: A study by the Center for Disease Control found 31 deaths due to wood chippers for the years 1992-2002, with 68% occurring from someone being pulled into the chipper. The study also reported 2,042 injuries, with 60% of those being to the upper extremities. In the years 1992-1996, 155 of the injuries were amputations. The OSHA Bulletin mentioned above provides similar numbers, with 39 fa-talities from 1996-2005. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm53482at.htm

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Fatality & Casualty Reporting State & Town: CONN-OSHA (860) 263-6946 (local) or 1-866-241-4060 (toll-free)

Private Employers: Report to Federal OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA(6742)

November 2016 CONN-OSHA Quarterly, #86

Final Rule Issued to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

Why is OSHA issuing this rule?

This simple change in OSHA’s rulemaking requirements will improve safety for workers across the country. One important reason stems from our understanding of human behavior and motivation. Behavioral economics tells us that making injury information publicly available will “nudge” employers to focus on safety. And, as we have seen in many examples, more at-tention to safety will save the lives and limbs of many workers, and will ultimately help the employer’s bottom line as well. Finally, this regulation will improve the accuracy of this data by ensuring that workers will not fear retaliation for reporting injuries or illnesses.

What does the rule require?

The new rule, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2017, requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data that they are already required to record on their onsite OSHA Injury and Illness forms. Analysis of this data will enable OSHA to use its enforcement and compliance assistance resources more efficiently. Some of the data will also be posted to the OSHA website. OSHA believes that public disclosure will encourage employers to improve workplace safety and provide valuable information to workers, job seekers, customers, researchers and the general public. The amount of data submitted will vary depending on the size of company and type of industry.

How will electronic submission work?

OSHA will provide a secure website that offers three options for data submission. First, users will be able to manually enter data into a web form. Second, users will be able to upload a comma-separated values (CSV) file to process single or multi-ple establishments at the same time. Last, users of automated recordkeeping systems will have the ability to transmit data electronically via an application programming interface (API). The site is scheduled to go live in February 2017.

Anti-retaliation protections

The rule also prohibits employers from discouraging workers from reporting an injury or illness. The final rule requires em-ployers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation, which can be sat-isfied by posting the already-required OSHA workplace poster. It also clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an em-ployer’s procedure for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employ-ees from reporting; and incorporates the existing statutory prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. These provisions become effective August 10, 2016, but OSHA has delayed their enforce-ment until Dec. 1, 2016.

Compliance schedule

The new reporting requirements will be phased in over two years:

Establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. These same employers will be required to submit information from all 2017 forms (300A, 300, and 301) by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.

Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.

OSHA State Plan states must adopt requirements that are at least as effective as the requirements in this final rule within 6 months after publication of this final rule.

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Lockout/Tagout December 7, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to noon This 2-hour session will discuss comprehensive energy

control protocols designed to protect workers performing servicing and other tasks while achieving maintenance, quality

control and production goals.

OSHA Recordkeeping January 11, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to noon This interactive session will make you knowledgea-

ble of the rules and ensure confidence that you have properly recorded and reported occupational injuries and illnesses,

including how to fill out the OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses accurately and correctly.

Powered Industrial Trucks February 8, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to noon This 2-hour workshop will cover safe work

practices, methods of providing formal and practical training, and tools for operator evaluation. Written handout materials

will be provided to use in the development of your site-specific training program.

Construction Site Safety March 8, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to noon Construction managers, first line supervisors, and

construction employees will be provided with an overview of four areas of concern on the construction site: fall protection,

scaffolding and ladders, electrical hazards and trenching safety.

Breakfast Roundtable This discussion group meets the third Tuesday of every month from 8:15 am to 9:45 am. Pre-

registration is required. Visit our web page for more information: http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/osha/Breakfast/index.htm To

be placed on the e-mail distribution list, contact John Able at John.able@ct.gov

Classes are free and are held at 200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, CT in Conference Room A/B (unless otherwise noted). To register, contact Catherine Zinsser at catherine.zinsser@ct.gov Pre-registration is required. A Photo I.D. is also required to allow entry into a public building. For more training information, visit the CONN-OSHA web site www.ConnOsha.com

CONN-OSHA~ Training Update...

Hazard Corner….A Tree Trimmer Dies When He is Pulled into a Wood

Chipper

November 2016 CONN-OSHA Quarterly, #86

A 46-year-old male tree trimmer died when he was pulled into a wood chipper while feeding branches into the ma-chine. He had been employed as a tree trimmer for 16 years. The victim was part of a two-man crew that was trimming trees along a residential street when the incident occurred. The wood chipper had a built-in safety device called the feed control bar that was located on the top and both sides of the feed chute, however, it is not known if it was working at the time of the incident. On the day of the incident the victim was feeding cut branches into the wood chipper while his co-worker was in an elevated bucket directly above him trimming the trees. The victim was feeding branches into the wood chipper while standing in line with the in-feed chute.

Following are some recommendations from the investiga-tor to prevent similar accidents: Ensure that employees never operate a wood chipper

alone. Ensure that all employees stand to the side of the

feed table when feeding trimmings into the wood chip-per.

Ensure that employees are thoroughly trained and

tested on the operation of wood chippers. Ensure that a documented inspection report is com-

pleted every time a wood chipper is used and kept on file.