MIOSHA Orders Sunset Tree Service & Landscaping

to Cease Operations Due to Unresolved Worker Safety

Issues
Media Contact: LARA Communications 517-373-9280
Email: mediainfo@michigan.gov
May 16, 2016 Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Director Shelly Edgerton today directed the Michigan Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (MIOSHA) to execute a Cease Operation Order
against Sunset Tree Service & Landscaping of Bay City for continuing to operate
without abating hazards on the jobsite.
Pursuant to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act 154 of 1974,
MIOSHA ordered the company to cease operations due to a lack of personal
protective equipment, rescue procedures, maintaining minimum working
distances to energized conductors and a written hazard communication
program.
"By neglecting to comply with MIOSHA standards, Sunset has compromised the
safety of its employees, said Edgerton. MIOSHA is committed to working
collaboratively with employers to ensure worker protections, but when a company
fails to correct previously identified hazards and continues to put workers in
harms way, we will take the appropriate enforcement measures.
Sunset Tree Service & Landscaping employs nine workers and is an ornamental
shrub and tree service. The business requires the extensive use of personal
protective equipment, hand tools and various powered equipment used in the
removal and processing of trees.

Though not classified as a high-hazard industry, MIOSHA proactively provides

information and enforcement resources to employers in this industry due to the
number of workplace fatalities related to tree trimming and removal.
The hazards of the tree care industry can be great, and in many cases, may
result in death. To date, three of the eight worker deaths that occurred in
Michigan this year have been a result of tree trimming and removal. Contact with
overhead power lines, struck by fallen tree sections, and faulty and/or defective
equipment increase the dangers associated with tree care and removal already
in 2016.
A Cease Operation Order is one of the strongest enforcement
actions MIOSHA can take against an employer. They can be executed
when MIOSHA has determined there are serious hazards at a worksite and the
employer fails to correct the hazards. If an employer fails to comply with the
Cease Operation Order, MIOSHA has the authority and the responsibility to seek
a court order to obtain compliance.
Eliminating employee exposure to serious hazards is our number one priority,
said Acting MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman. Since the employer refuses to
take corrective action, it is MIOSHAs duty to step in and ensure worker
protections are put in place.
Once Sunset corrects the hazards and notifies MIOSHA compliance officers, the
agency will respond in less than 24 hours, verify abatement and remove the
Cease Operation Order.
The MIOSHA General Industry Safety Standard Part 53, Tree Trimming and
Removal, addresses minimum safety expectations for the industry. To learn more
about tree trimming safety, visit MIOSHAs website and view resources under
Tree Trimming.
For more information about MIOSHA, please visit www.michigan.gov/miosha
Like us on Facebook, follow @MI_OSHA on Twitter or watch us on YouTube.

For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara

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