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Subchapter 13. Logging and Sawmill Safety Orders
Article 5. Falling and Bucking
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§6275. Falling Trees.


(a) While falling, fallers shall be so located that they will not endanger other employees. In steep country, one set of fallers shall not work immediately up the slope from other fallers.

(b) Fallers and buckers shall not work near any running lines, guylines, or other units of the operation so that they could endanger themselves or other employees.

(c) The head faller shall keep informed of the location of buckers or other employees placed or passing in the vicinity of trees being felled. Fallers shall be within visible or audible signaling distance of another worker at all times.

(d) Special precautions shall be taken to prevent felling trees into power lines.

(e) After a determination by a qualified person(s) (e.g. tree faller) as to the safest tree dislodgment procedure, lodged trees shall be dislodged at the first opportunity by one of the following methods:

(1) Pulling or pushing to the ground by mechanical equipment in accordance with the requirements in Sections 6259 and 6286, or;

(2) Falling another tree onto the lodged tree by a qualified person. Multiple sequential tree falling (domino tree falling) is prohibited.

(f) When a lodged tree is left unattended, a qualified person shall flag the area in proximity to the tree(s) (i.e. hazardous area) with warning tape or ribbon in a manner which will ensure the lodged tree and the hazardous area are readily identifiable.

NOTE: For the purposes of subsection (f) the hazardous area refers to the area where an employee could be struck by a lodged tree which becomes dislodged.

(g) Employees shall be prohibited from working under lodged trees.

NOTE: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.

HISTORY

1. Amendment of subsection (b) filed 2-6-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 85, No. 6).

2. Amendment of subsection (e) and new subsections (e)(1)-(g) filed 5-1-97; operative 5-31-97 (Register 97, No. 18).

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