A federal agency has determined a Powder Springs tree trimming company was responsible for the death of a worker in an accident earlier this year and issued a fine against the company.
Investigators at the Occupational and Safety Health Administration said Wednesday they have concluded that Serious Tree Services placed Marvin Cifuentes Reyes in a lethally dangerous situation that led to his death May 20.
Cifuentes Reyes, a 38-year-old arborist and a married father of three, was working for the company in a residential area near Lake Allatoona. He was fatally electrocuted when his equipment made contact with a residential power line, OSHA said.
At the time, he was trimming the lower branches of a 60-foot-tall tree, according to OSHA.
“Serious Tree Services failed to meet their obligation to protect workers by adhering to industry safety standards, resulting in a preventable tragedy,” said Jeffery Stawowy, OSHA’s area director in Atlanta, in a statement. “Employers must prioritize training and hazard prevention to avoid such devastating outcomes. This incident highlights the severe consequences of neglecting workplace safety.”
A call to Serious Tree Services on Wednesday was directed to William Mazariegos, identified as the owner of the company. He declined comment.
Serious Tree Services offers tree removal, tree trimming, stump grinding and firewood preparation.
OSHA has proposed the company pay penalties of $29,035 for the incident.
An obituary for Cifuentes Reyes said: “Marvin was a loving and dedicated father to his children. His death has left a great emptiness today.”
The obituary called him “a man who won our hearts with his friendship and kindness.”
While Reyes was working at the site in Acworth, his chain saw hit an unprotected power line and he was electrocuted, according to OSHA, as well as testimony from neighbors.
Police told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that when they arrived, Reyes was dead.
One neighbor later told the AJC that Reyes was probably dead “within a minute.”
Witnesses said OSHA officials were on the scene shortly thereafter to begin their investigation.
OSHA officials said this week the company had exposed employees to electrical hazards by allowing an arborist to climb, trim and cut trees within 10 feet of the ungrounded power line “while using a conductive stabilizing line that had a steel core.”
Additionally, OSHA criticized the company for allowing employees to do the work without appropriate protective equipment.
OSHA is a division of the U.S. Department of Labor. It was created by the Job Safety Law, enacted in 1970 and signed into law by then-President Richard Nixon.
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