orange wood chipper sits unused with tree limbs in front of it

OSHA Cites Pennsylvania Employer After 17-Year-Old Employee Suffers Fatal Injuries

The citations include violations for not having PPE and not training employees on certain machine usage.

Following the death of an employee, an employer in Pennsylvania is facing citations for violations relating to not training employees on wood chipper use and not having someone trained in first aid.

In August 2022, a 17-year employee working for Adam Atiyeh, operator of Adam’s Tree Service and Adam’s Tree Removal and Trimming, was fatally injured after a wood chipper pulled them in, according to a news release. The employee had been putting entangled material in the wood chipper at a site in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, when they were injured.

Federal child labor laws do not allow anyone under the age of 18 to use a wood chipper. OSHA said the employer allowed three workers, all minors, to use the machinery.

“The dangers of tree-trimming and operating a wood chipper are obvious and widely known, and yet this employer exposed a teenager to deadly risks. Now his family, friends and co-workers are left to mourn,” said OSHA Area Office Director Jean Kulp in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the news release.

Atiyeh and the company were cited for a lack of PPE, not training employees on wood chipper use, not having someone with first aid training and not “maintain[ing] portable fire extinguishers at the work site.” In total, OSHA cited the employer for citations for 10 serious violations and proposed $124,987 in penalties.

 “The willingness of this company and its owner Adam Atiyeh to expose workers without proper safety equipment and training to such hazardous work is hard to understand. Employing minors to do this work is unconscionable,” Kulp continued.

About the Author

Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.

Product Showcase

  • Glove Guard® Clip

    Safety should never be compromised, especially when it comes to proper glove usage. The Glove Guard® clip enhances safety by encouraging employees to keep their gloves with them at all times. This reduces the risk of accidents and injuries on the job. By ensuring everyone has their gloves readily available, we help promote a culture of safety and efficiency. The Glove Guard® clip is designed to withstand the toughest work environments. Constructed from robust materials made in the USA, it can endure extreme conditions, including harsh weather, and rigorous activities. Read More

  • Matrix's OmniPro Vision AI Collision Avoidance System

    OmniPro Vision AI is a state-of-the-art collision avoidance system that features NIOSH award-winning Visual Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. This highly accurate, powerful system identifies and alerts on pedestrians, vehicles and specified objects, ensuring safer facilities, mining operations and industrial sites. With its web-based cloud application, OmniPro Vision AI also logs and analyzes a wide range of data related to zone breach notifications. Operating without needing personal wearable devices or tags, OmniPro has visual and audible zone breach alerts for both operators and pedestrians. Read More

  • Safety Shower Test Cart

    The Safety Shower Test Cart speeds up and simplifies emergency shower tests, ensures you stay in compliance with OSHA regulations, and significantly reduces testing costs. With 7 unique features, the cart makes testing easy, effective, and efficient. You can test water clarity, flow, temperature, and spread—all at the same time! Most safety shower testing kits create a mess, take too much time to use, and don't fully help you stay in compliance with OSHA & ANSI standards. Transform the way you test emergency showers with Green Gobbler Safety. Read More

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars