title: Fatal injury in tree felling and related activities, Victoria, Australia 1992-2007.
abstract: This study aims to examine fatalities resulting from tree felling and related activities in Victoria, Australia, involving work and do-it-yourself (DIY) activities, 1992-2007. Case identification was undertaken using coronial databases. A manual review of coroners' findings of closed cases was performed. Data collected and examined comprised demographics, occupation, incident location, activity, equipment used, injury mechanism and cause of death. Sixty-two cases were identified during the 16-year period; over 50% comprised DIY deaths (n=33). All but one victim was male. The median age for paid workers was less than for DIY (43 years vs 59 years). One-third of work activities were performed by persons outside professional tree-felling industries. While commercial forestry and logging industries experience a high fatality rate in Australia, non-professionals are also vulnerable to tree-felling injury. Study findings identified in excess of 70% of fatal incidents involved persons not employed within a relevant industry. Prevention efforts must focus on safety beyond workplaces and certain industries alone to reduce these deaths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. lisa.brodie@coronerscourt.vic.gov.au
authors.forename: Lisa Ruth
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Brodie
authors.forename: Joseph Elias
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D016468:Forestry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014197:Trees; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*