The Associated California Loggers will hold their annual meeting Jan 17-19 at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada. The event returns to the Peppermill Resort after an absence of several years.
Loggers can obtain all eight of their elective ProLogger credits by participating at the annual meeting.
For more information about the meeting, visit the organization’s website at www.californialoggers.com.
Associated Oregon Loggers Launch Website, Member Portal
Associated Oregon Loggers has launched a new website, www.oregonloggers.org. The website also has a portal for members and brings an expanded library of resources to smartphones or desktop computers.
“Our aim is to deliver information that brings value and utility to your company’s success,” said Rex Storm, the organization’s executive vice president, in a message on the website.
The AOL will hold its annual convention Jan. 20 at the Spirit Mountain Casino, Lodge & Event Center in Grand Ronde, Oregon. The theme will be Sustainable Contracting in a New Economy.
For more information about the convention or to register, visit the new website.
The Washington Contract Loggers Assoc. will hold the Washington Logging Safety Conference Jan. 21 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington. Topics will include cable logging safety, timber cutting safety, driving safety, and more.
For more information or to register, visit the website, call (800) 422-0074, or email [email protected].
The western regional chapter of the Council on Forest Engineering will hold a conference Jan. 12 at the Best Western Premier Boulder Falls Inn in Lebanon, Oregon. It will be offered both as an in-person and streaming option.
The agenda will include three presentations on grapple yarding, and additional presentations on economics, motor carrier regulations in Oregon, and mechanized fire line construction. The presentations on grapple yarding will include a report on productivity studies, a case study of the Tigercat 180 swing yarder, and a live anchor system for skyline systems.
The Council on Forest Engineering is an international professional organization that fosters forest engineering in industry, government, and education in order to promote the best methods of managing forests.
For more information about the conference or to register, visit the council website at www.westernforestry.org.
SAFETYALERT - Log Loader Pins, Crushes Unseen Yarder EngineerBackground
On a fall day in the Pacific Northwest, a yarder engineer was operating a yarder on a timber sale until the shutdown whistle (for fire season restrictions) alerted the two choker setters to head up to the landing. The loader operator had broken a hydraulic hose on a limb that was sticking out of a deck of logs at the landing. The loader operator asked the yarder engineer to help him fix the hose, and together they repaired it. Weather was not considered a factor.
Personal Characteristics
The experience and training of the crew was unknown.
Unsafe Acts and Conditions
The yarder engineer picked up one of the landing saws and went over near the log loader to flush-cut the butt ends of the decked trees. The loader operator walked over to the log loader and climbed into the cab. He started the machine and rotated the log loader to move the grapple toward trees that needed processing.
Accident-Injury
The yarder engineer was standing behind the log loader. As the log loader rotated, he was struck and crushed between the corner of the machine counterweight and the butt end of a log. He was seriously injured, suffering lacerations to his back and internal abdominal damage. It is unknown if the employee ever returned to work.
Recommendations for Correction
Workers on the ground near operating machines should never approach within range of the machine without receiving visual acknowledgment from the operator that he understands their intention. Machines operated close to each other should always be separated by enough distance to prevent nearby personnel from getting pinned, struck, or crushed during operation. An unimpaired horizontal clearance of not less than three (3) feet should be maintained between the rotating superstructure of any machine and any adjacent object or surface.
The supervisor on site should be provided with adequate information to acknowledge that an employee would be in a hazardous location, and potentially injured, when the log loader was moved or rotated.
Source: Forest Resources Association. To download or print out the original Forest Resources Association Safety Alert, visit www.forestresources.org and scroll down to the tab for Safety Alerts.
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Chris Martin operates his TimberPro TL755 feller buncher
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Tips for Winterizing Your Machines
With snow and winter weather on the horizon – if not in your region already – make sure to get your logging equipment ready for cold temperatures.
Guest Column
Washington Department of Natural Resources should be held accountable for scheme that rewards polluters while failing state trust land beneficiaries and the people of Washington.
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