Forestry worker killed operating skidder with no seatbelt or door: CNESST

A forestry worker was crushed when he was ejected from a skidder he was operating without wearing a seatbelt. (Wiki Commons)

Quebec’s workers’ safety board (CNESST) concluded that driving a forestry vehicle that had no seat belt or complete door contributed to the death of a worker in Saint-Côme-Linière, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.

The forestry worker died in a workplace accident on Jan. 6 while reversing a vehicle known as a skidder, according to the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).

During the maneuver, the vehicle backed up onto the stump of a felled tree, causing vibrations that ejected the worker from the cab. The man was crushed by the front wheel of the skidder.

In its report, the CNESST concluded that “operating a skidder that is not equipped with seat belts or full doors violates section 21 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety in forest development work.”

It also points out that “the left side of the cab is also open, exposing the worker to falling equipment.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 24, 2025.