Uncharacteristic errors by an experienced forestry worker may have contributed to his death, a coroner says.
File pic Photo: AFP
Walter Terence Collier, 56, died from injuries after a large section of a split tree pinned him down in Huiarua Forest at Tokomaru Bay on the East Cape on 9 January, 2020.
Collier died as a result of positional asphyxiation.
In a just released decision, Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale said she agreed with a WorkSafe investigation which concluded Collier, while an experienced, skilful and respected tree faller, on the day of his death he made mistakes.
The coroner said for reasons that are likely to remain unexplained, Collier made uncharacteristic errors of technique in his cutting of the last tree.
The errors were contrary to his training and industry guidance and were inconsistent with his usual scrupulous practice.
The coroner said various witnesses speculated whether Collier may have rushed the final tree he cut due to his chainsaw being almost out of fuel.
She said WorkSafe found that there were too many variables to accurately estimate the amount of fuel that was in the saw at the time of the accident.
It was a hesitation she considered well-founded.
Borrowdale did not make any recommendations in her report, saying industry guidelines cannot be improved on.
She said existing industry guidance and workplace training modules expressly address the risks of manual tree felling and mitigation techniques.
Collier had been a tree faller since 2015, employed by Eastside Logging Company Ltd. He had been in the forestry industry for 30 years.
A tree faller is a highly skilled chainsaw operator who is responsible for felling mature trees, which requires the faller to select and fell trees carefully and safely, avoiding boundaries and hazards, so tree stems can be extracted to a landing site and processed.