By many measures, logging is the most dangerous occupation in the United States. The tools and equipment such as chain saws and logging machines pose hazards wherever they are used. As loggers use their tools and equipment, they deal with massive weights and irresistible momentum of falling, rolling, and sliding trees and logs. The hazards are more acute when dangerous environmental conditions are factored in, such as uneven, unstable or rough terrain; inclement weather including rain, snow, lightning, winds, and extreme cold and/or remote and isolated work sites where health care facilities are not immediately accessible. The combination of these hazards present a significant risk to employees working in logging operations throughout the country, regardless of the type of timber being logged, where it is logged, or the end use of the wood.
The following are fatality investigation reports of incidents that have occurred in the logging industry within the United States. They are presented on this website to influence safety management and to serve as discussion-starters for employee safety meetings.
Chain saw operator dies after being struck by excavator bucket during site clearing
Hispanic logger struck and killed by a falling tree cut by a feller buncher machine
Tree feller killed when struck by chain saw
Logging company owner dies after being struck by a falling tree
Tree trimmer/climber dies after falling 40 feet with an uprooted tree trunk
Tree feller killed by a piece of wood from a falling tree
Logger dies after falling from tractor
Logger dies after falling from log skidder
Truck driver dies after being struck by log that fell from logging truck
Machine operator struck and killed by cutting head of feller buncher machine
Chokersetter killed by falling tree
Timber cutter killed by falling tree limb
Timber cutter killed by falling tree limb
Timber cutter/skidder operator killed by falling tree
Equipment operator struck and killed by skidder
Foreman/skidder operator killed by falling tree
Timber cutter dies after being struck by a falling snag
Tree feller killed by falling tree limb
Owner of logging company crushed by rootwad of windfall tree
Truck driver killed when struck by log that rolled off truck during loading operation
Tree feller dies after being struck by a chain saw
Tree feller crushed by dislodged tree
Tree feller crushed by falling tree
Tree faller dies after being struck by a falling snag
Tree faller crushed by dislodged tree
Tree faller/bucker crushed between two logs while bucking a fallen tree
Tree faller killed when struck by decayed slab jarred loose by fallen tree
Tree Faller/Bucker Crushed Between Two Logs While Bucking Fallen Tree
Tree Faller Crushed by Dislodged Tree
Truck Driver Killed When Struck by Log that Rolled Off Truck During Loading Operations
Owner of Logging Company Crushed by Rootwad of Windfall Tree During Bucking
Logging Equipment Manager Dies in Helicopter Tail Rotor Strike
Logging Crane Operator Dies in Crane Tip-Over
Logger Killed While Felling Tree
Logger Killed While Attempting to Dislodge a Previously Felled Tree With Another Tree
Logger Killed When Struck by a Dislodged Limb
Logger Killed When Struck by Rebounding Tree
Logger and Logging Supervisor Killed by Uprooted Tree
Truck Driver Dies when a Load of Lumber Falls Over and Crushes Him in California
Laborer Electrocuted While Felling Trees on Private Property
Logger Killed When Struck by Log That Rolled of Truck During Unloading Operation
Log Loader Runs Over Worker at Stave Mill
Logger Killed in End Loader Rollover
Logger Killed When Log Rolls Off Truck at Sawmill
Log Rolls Off Truck During Unloading and Strikes Logger
Logs Roll Off Truck at Sawmill Killing the Truck Driver
Logger Killed When Struck by Tree
Farmer Killed on Tractor During Logging Operations
Logger Killed During Tree Felling
Logger Killed When Struck by Tree Limb During Hauling
Logger Crushed During Repair Work on Skidder
Skidder Operator Thrown From Vehicle During Rollover
Logger Fatally Injured by Falling Limb
Knotted Log Rolls Off Truck and Kills Logger at Sawmill
Log Rolls off Truck at Sawmill Killing Employee
Log Rolls off Truck at Sawmill Killing the Truck Driver
Logger Fatally Injured by Falling Tree in Kentucky
Logger Killed While Freeing Maple Log With Chainsaw During Skidding Operation
Logger Killed When Struck By Lodged Tree That Fell
Logger Dies After Being Struck By Falling Tree
20-Year-Old Man Killed When Struck By Tree Falling from Tree-Cutting Machine
Groundman Killed by Falling Tree Section at Tree Removal Operation
Logger Crushed While Felling a Tree
Truck Driver Killed when Struck by Laminated Veneer Beams Falling from a Forklift
Contractor Dies in Tractor Overturn While Skidding Logs
Logger Killed by Falling Sheave When Yarder Tower Collapses
Logger Killed as Skyline Cable Whips Free of Slash Pile
Operator Killed When Bulldozer Slides Off Logging Road
Truck Driver Crushed by Front-end Loader in Mill Yard
Ranch Hand Killed by Bulldozer While Logging
Logger Killed by Swinging Tree in Yarding Operation
Logger Killed when Struck by Top of Falling Tree, which was Felled by an Adjacent Cutter
Logger Killed When Struck by Falling Cedar Blocks During a Helicopter Logging Operation
Logger Killed by Log during Helicopter Logging Operation in Washington State
Bulldozer Operator/Logger Crushed by Crawler Bulldozer
Log Cutter Dies in West Virginia After Being Struck By a Limb From a Dead Tree
Bulldozer Operator/Logger Crushed When Struck by Falling Tree
Tree Cutter Dies After Being Struck by Log That Fell From Logging Truck in West Virginia
Tree Feller Dies in West Virginia After Being Struck by Boulder That Rolled Down Hillside
Tree Feller Dies After Being Struck by Tree Being Felled in West Virginia
Tree Feller Dies After Being Struck by Tree Being Felled
Tree Feller Dies After Being Struck by Entangled Tree While Felling Tree
Tree Feller Dies After Being Struck by Snag While Felling Tree
Worker Dies After Being Run Over by the Skidder He was Operating in West Virginia
West Virginia Dozer Operator Dies After Being Struck-by a Tree
Timber Cutter Dies After Being Struck by Elevated Butt of Previously Felled Tree
Timber Cutter Dies After Being Struck From Behind by a Tree
Logger Dies After Fall from Skidder to Tree Stump
Logger Dies After a Log Skidder Rolled Downhill and Struck Him as He was Felling a Tree
Part-time Logger Pinned by Tractor Wheel after Being Knocked from Operator’s Seat