Wood Chipper Grabs Foot

Using a foot to clear a jammed wood chipper sadly left the owner of a tree service company in Wisconsin with more than a leg injury.

Jeremiah Sanders from Kenosha was pulled through a wood chipper on a jobsite in Pleasant Prairie. Police said co-workers tried to stop the machine but couldn’t. It was reported that a safety mechanism used to reverse the feed rollers had failed.

Witnesses said Sanders, who owned J’s Quality Tree Service, used his foot to clear a piece of wood that became jammed in the machine. This was a deadly mistake because his foot got caught in the intake, which pulled him through the blades.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating to determine if any workplace violations contributed to the death. Share this story with your workers to bring home the dangers of trying to clear blockages on equipment that’s in operation.