HAMPTON -- The story of Frank Gornik, the Poquoson teen who died in a wood chipper this weekend, caught the eye of a safety advocate in Richmond.
Ron Melancon has lobbied for seven years to better regulate wood chippers and trailers, ever since he crashed into a landscaping trailer that did not have working lights or reflective tape.
"I just couldn't believe that these landscaper trailers, chipper trailers, have no regulations and are not inspected like a vehicle is," Melancon says.
The state requires inspections only for trailers weighing more than 3,000 pounds.
Melancon runs the Web site dangeroustrailers.org, devoted to increasing regulation of small trailers, including wood chippers.
Melancon noticed there are few rules when it comes to operating a wood chipper.
The law says anyone over 18 can do it without a license and without formal training.
OSHA regulates wood chippers but only after a complaint or a fatality.
The Department of Labor and Industry inspects landscaping workplaces, but not specific machinery such as a wood chipper.
"We don't have a statute that specifies specific equipment," spokeswoman Jennifer Wester said.
The General Assembly would have to pass a law specific to wood chippers for more regulation, she said.
State lawmakers debated more regulation of tree trimmers in both 1990 and 2001, but both times the efforts failed.
"I just don't know what it takes," Melancon says. "How many people need to lose their lives before we finally enact responsible legislation?
To add a comment, please register or login.