Washington Issues Safety Alert After Three Timber Fallers Are Killed by Trees
Employers are urged to assess danger trees, develop felling plans and keep workers at least two tree lengths apart.
- By Danielle Naidu
- Sep 28, 2026
Three timber fallers died in Washington in 2025 after being struck by trees, ending a four-year period in which the state recorded no faller deaths.
The Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program examined the incidents in a new Preventing Logging Deaths hazard alert. The alert identifies common hazards and outlines measures logging employers can take to prevent similar incidents.
The incidents involved a 33-year-old faller struck while bucking a log near a partially cut hemlock; a 33-year-old faller struck by a wind-felled snag that fell while he cut the maple tree it was lodged against; and a 45-year-old faller struck while working 18 feet from a trainee cutting a separate tree. Investigators identified hazards including trees left standing with face and back cuts, lodged snags and dead limbs, and fallers making undercuts while other workers were nearby.
Washington requirements prohibit workers from making undercuts while others are within an area where the tree could fall. Trees with face or back cuts generally cannot be left standing unless they are marked, work in the hazardous area is stopped, endangered workers are notified and measures are taken to fell the tree safely. Employers must also establish and implement written accident-prevention programs addressing the hazards associated with their operations.
The WA FACE Program recommends assessing sites for danger trees, snags, dead limbs, rolling logs, decay and wind-related hazards before work begins. Employers should develop plans for removing known hazards, establish clear landing zones and two 45-degree retreat paths, and keep felling operations at least two tree lengths from other workers and equipment.
Routine site checks should continue throughout the workday because conditions can change. Operations should stop and work zones should remain clear until newly identified hazards or unsafe practices are addressed. WA FACE noted that the alert is based on preliminary information and does not represent final determinations about the incidents or their causes.
About the Author
Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.