On October 17, 2022, a 17-year-old arborist died after a nearly 100-pound tree branch fell on his head. He was involved in work on private property on Route 138 in Trois-Rivières that was described by CNESST as improvised.
The youth was responsible for removing the cut branches from the area where they had fallen. Typically, climbers need to be able to communicate with workers on the ground, either via radio, waving, or even shouting. According to the report, none of these methods were used.
“Between the moment the climber looked at the position of the workers on the ground and the moment he placed his saw to make the cut, the worker had time to move,” explained the engineer to the CNESST and the inspector Vincent on record Ouellette.
Another deficiency was discovered during this work: the contractor did not have approval from the Department of Transportation to carry out the work while branches were downed on a portion of Route 138. This method is not recommended as logs can damage the road or even cause injury splinters.
“You can also request a sign plan signed, sealed and approved by an engineer. Obviously, there are fundamental elements after that: where are we going to intervene, for how long, when are we going to start, does this require the creation of a barrier in Quebec? 511,” said Sarah Bensadoun, spokeswoman for Transports Quebec.
“The worker rushed back to the road to remove the fallen branches and when he returned to the road, he found himself under the falling branch,” the CNESST inspector said.
The International Society of Arboriculture believes that training should be mandatory and that obtaining a permit to operate is required. Among the recommendations mentioned in the report, which had already been drawn up at the time of the events, is the requirement to have appropriate qualifications.
Two companies were on site at the time of the accident: ID Branche and Lelièvre in the trees. Each of them was fined. The amount was not disclosed, but the minimum fine is $1,800 and can go up to $3,600.