Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-54 - Safety standards-Logging operations › Section 296-54-577 - Yarding, skidding, landing

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)
			 Running lines must be arranged so that employees are not required to work in
			 the bight of the line. When employees must work in the bight, employees must
			 move out of the bight of the lines before the signal to move the turn is given,
			 or be in a position where they are protected by standing timber, terrain, or
			 other objects large enough to ensure their safety.
(2) Choker holes must be dug from the uphill
			 side of the log when there is danger of the log rolling or moving.
(3) Chokers must be placed near the end of
			 the log/tree whenever possible.
EXCEPTION:
When long logs or tree-length logs are being yarded
							 and a long end is necessary to safely land the logs/trees on the available
							 landing space.
(4)
			 Employees must be in the clear of logs, root wads, chunks, hazardous trees,
			 rolling material and rigging before the go-ahead signal is given and must stay
			 in the clear until all rigging movement has stopped.
(5) Employees must move away from the turn so
			 as to be above or behind the turn and in the clear. They must remain on their
			 feet and face the turn before the go-ahead signal is given.
(6) All employees must remain away from
			 rigging that is stopped at a hangup, until the rigging has been slacked to
			 reduce the hazard.
(7) Chokers must
			 not be hooked or unhooked until all rigging is stopped completely.
(8) Logs must not be landed until all
			 employees, trucks or equipment are in the clear.
(9) Logs must not accumulate in the landing
			 chute to the point where they become a hazard to the landing
			 personnel.
(10) Logs must be stable
			 and secure before being approached by employees and before chokers are
			 unhooked.
(11) An employee must not
			 buck, limb or trim logs from a position that will expose the employee to
			 contact with moving lines.
(12)
			 Logs must not be placed in, moved about, or removed from the bucking area of
			 the landing unless all employees are in the clear.
(13) An unimpaired horizontal clearance of at
			 least three feet must be maintained between the rotating superstructure of any
			 logging machine working on a landing and any adjacent object or surface. If
			 this clearance cannot be maintained, a safety zone barrier must be used to
			 isolate the hazardous area. The safety zone barrier may be a warning line
			 constructed of rope or ribbon, supported on stanchions.
(14) Employees must not approach a machine's
			 working circle until the operator has acknowledged that it is safe to do
			 so.
(15) Whenever possible, chokers
			 must be set from the uphill side of a log. Persons must not be on the lower
			 side of a log which appears to be unstable or likely to roll.
(16) When yarding during the hours of
			 darkness, the area must be lighted enough to allow employees to safely perform
			 their duties. The source of light must be located and directed to create
			 minimum shadows and glare. If using a portable tailhold, lights must be
			 directed on equipment to allow the person to visually determine that the
			 tailhold equipment remains stabilized.
(17) Each yarded tree/log must be placed in a
			 location that does not create a hazard for an employee and in an orderly manner
			 so that the trees/logs are stable before bucking or limbing is
			 commenced.
(18) When using a
			 yarder, loader or skidding machine, the location of the machine or position of
			 the yarder must be such that the operator will not be endangered by incoming
			 logs or debris.
(19) Employee(s)
			 must be assigned to flag on roads or provide other equivalent protection where
			 hazardous conditions are created from logging such as, but not limited to:
(a) Running wire rope lines or rigging across
			 road grades, excluding guylines and standing skylines if lines remain a safe
			 distance above the road to allow a vehicle to pass under; or
(b) The movement of logs, chunks, or debris
			 across or suspended over road grades.
EXCEPTION:
Where there is no through traffic, such as on a dead
							 end road or where the property owner's permission or proper authority is
							 granted to close a section of road, warning signs and barricades may be used
							 instead of flagger(s).