Logging Workers

Logging consistently has one of the highest death rates of any job in the U.S. Most loggers who die are struck by falling trees or limbs, or by logs rolling or kicking back. Remote locations make getting help slow.

• Logging
• Tree work

Top hazards

• Struck by falling trees, broken tops and dead limbs (“widowmakers”)
• Trees that kick back off the stump or split (“barber chair”)
• Hung-up (lodged) trees
• Rolling logs on slopes and at landings
• Chainsaw cuts and kickback
• Logging machine rollovers and run-overs
• Remote locations, far from help

Felling

• Look up first: check for dead limbs, broken tops and nearby trees that could be pulled down.
• Plan the fall based on lean, wind and obstacles.
• Clear an escape route back and to the side, about 45 degrees from the line of fall, and use it as the tree starts to go.
• Keep coworkers at least two tree lengths away from a tree being felled.
• Use proper cuts: notch (face cut) and back cut, leaving holding wood (the hinge) to control the fall.

OSHA’s logging standard requires

• PPE: hard hat, eye and face protection, hearing protection, chainsaw leg protection, cut-resistant foot protection and gloves. See Chainsaw PPE
• First aid kits at each work site and in each vehicle, and first aid/CPR training for every worker
• Machines with ROPS, seat belts and operator protective structures
• Inspection of chainsaws and machines before each shift
• Training before work and regularly after
• Workers able to see or hear each other, or a system for checking on lone workers

Emergency planning

Know your GPS location or directions to the site, how to reach help where cell service is weak, and the nearest place a helicopter or ambulance can reach. See Bleeding Control.

Last updated: October 2, 2026