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8 Arbor Age / April 2014 www.arborage.com Morbark partners with Precision Sharpening Devices to provide Bevel Buddy Morbark, Inc. signed a contract with Precision Sharpening Devices Inc. to become the exclusive original equipment manu- facturer to sell the Bevel Buddy chipper knife sharpener through its authorized dealer network. Since 1988, Precision Sharpening Devices, Inc., has been manufacturing counter grinding/back beveling equipment for knives used by a variety of industries, mostly for the pulp and paper, sawmill, plywood, and whole tree chipping markets. The Bevel Buddy handheld sharpener allows the knives to be re-sharpened without needing to be removed from the machine. The knives can be re-sharpened this way two to three times, reducing customer downtime. "The partnership between Morbark, Inc., and Precision Sharp- ening Devices, Inc., with their line of Bevel Buddy chipper knife sharpeners will offer our customers a product that helps them operate their equipment at the highest levels of effi ciency," said Mark Mills, Precision Sharpening Devices, Inc. "The results are fuel savings, meeting production quotas, less downtime, and greatly INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) reviewed 158 occupa- tional tree care accidents reported by the media in 2013. Of these accidents, 79 were fatal. The average age of the deceased was 40.6, and the average age of the serious accident victim was 37.7. These fi ndings are very similar to the 2012 fi ndings, where TCIA recorded 84 fatal accidents. However, the number of non-fatal accidents increased dramatically to 79 from the 44 reported during the 2012 calendar year. Summary of Findings An analysis of the fatal accidents categories revealed the following insights: Of the 14 fatalities attributed to falls from trees: • Six could be attributed to failure of the tree, or a major limb; • Two were caused by climbing system failure; • In one instance, the victim cut through his own climbing system; • In a separate incident, the victim was tied to the limb that was cut. Of the 12 fatalities attributed to electrocution: • Three victims were electrocuted through conductive tools or equipment such as metal saws, gas-powered stick saws, metal ladders and un-insulated lifts; • Five victims made direct contact with conductors; • It could not be determined how fi ve of the victims made contact; There was insuffi cient detail in the accounts of the 12 struck- by-tree fatalities to allow any further analysis. Similarly, the 13 struck-by-tree-limb fatalities lacked enough detail for further analysis. Of the nine fatalities attributed to falls-from-aerial-lifts: • The victim was not secured in the bucket in six instances. In one of these six cases, the victim's ejection from the bucket was caused by a cut tree limb striking the bucket; • There were two cases in which the upper boom failed, ap- parently without any external "assistance," sending the opera- tor to the ground; • There was one case in which a blow from a falling limb caused the boom to shear off. Non-fatal accidents are not reported in the media with enough consistency and clarity to allow analysis. These sobering numbers are a stark reminder of the dangers of tree care, and highlight the need for tree care companies, along with homeowners and the property managers who hire them, to uphold the highest standards for worker safety. "Unfortunately for the industry overall, serious accidents seem to be increasing," said Peter Gerstenberger, senior advisor for safety, standards & compliance for TCIA. "We need to trans- form the industry and create a safety culture that will keep all tree workers safe in an inherently hazardous occupation." TCIA compiled the data using Google alerts, OSHA inves- tigations, and reports from colleagues in the industry. Most accounts of fatal tree care accidents identifi ed the tree care company involved, which allowed TCIA to calculate the percent- age of accidents that involved TCIA member companies. TCIA found that only 12.7% of the recorded accidents can be attributed to TCIA member companies. Non-TCIA member com- panies are responsible for 72.2% of the recorded accidents. The remaining 15.2% accidents lack attribution due to insuffi cient data. TCIA releases 2013 occupational tree care accident fi ndings 79 Occupational Fatalities — 2013 Fall, tree, 19.0% Fall, ladder, 2.5% Falls, other, 5.1% Asphyxiation, palm fronds, 2.5% Struck by tree, 15.2% Fall, aerial lift, 12.7% Electrocution, 15.2% Undisclosed or other causes, 6.3% Struck by, other, 5.1% Struck by tree limb, 16.5%