Logger Didn’t Hear His Co-worker’s Chainsaw

A logger suffering from lack of sleep reported for work. He was supposed to be keeping a safety watch for another faller who was cutting down trees, but took a nap instead.

A co-worker had suggested that he catch an on-the-job nap in a vehicle parked on the road below, but the victim was afraid he would be caught sleeping on the job. This co-worker directed him to an area up the mountain from the logging operation. The co-worker continued to work, and found the victim pinned beneath a tree he had just felled. It is assumed that the victim found the area up the mountain too cold and returned to the lower level to sleep. Because he was so tired, he did not hear the faller cutting down the tree.

This co-worker was not supposed to be falling trees alone – the victim himself was supposed to have been watching him. This incident illustrates the kind of tragedies which can happen when workers sleep on the job.