‘The vehicle backed up onto the stump of a felled tree, causing vibrations that ejected the worker from the cab’
A forestry worker in Saint-Côme-Linière, Quebec, was killed in January after being ejected from their skidder, according to a report.=
The incident happened on Jan. 6 while the worker was reversing the heavy forestry vehicle.
“During the manoeuvre, the vehicle backed up onto the stump of a felled tree, causing vibrations that ejected the worker from the cab,” said the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), according to a report from The Canadian Press (CP).
The CNESST concluded that the absence of a seatbelt and a full door directly contributed to the fatality. The report noted: “Operating a skidder that is not equipped with seat belts or full doors violates section 21 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety in forest development work,” according to the CP article posted in CTV News.
The board also pointed out that “the left side of the cab is also open, exposing the worker to falling equipment.”
The CNESST’s findings highlight the importance of following safety regulations in forestry operations. “Driving a forestry vehicle that had no seat belt or complete door contributed to the death of a worker,” the board stated, as reported by CP.
Another incident involving a skidder also claimed the life of one workers in British Columbia last month.
In the past 12 months, Quebec has reported 17 serious forestry-related workplace incidents, including three fatalities, according to CNESST data. Nationally, the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) recorded 52 serious injuries and eight fatalities in the forestry sector across Canada during the same period.
