Asplundh Tree Defeats OSHA Citation Over Worker’s Fall Accident

National tree care company Asplundh Tree Expert LLC has been cleared of an OSHA citation and $13,653 fine tied to a worker’s 35-foot fall that caused severe injuries.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn’t prove that more training could have prevented the accident, an administrative law judge concluded in a Nov. 1 decision. Nor did it offer viable ways the accident could have been prevented, Judge Christopher Helms wrote.

The accident occurred during November 2020 in New Castle, Colo., where Asplundh was hired by Xcel Energy Inc. to trim cottonwood trees that were close to power lines. ...