Tree trimmer electrocuted by power line is Michigan's 32nd workplace death of 2026

A northern Michigan business owner was electrocuted after cutting down a tree at a private residence earlier this month, state officials said. 

On Aug. 20, the 50-year-old owner was cutting down a tree in Gwinn in Michigan's Upper Peninsula when it fell onto a power line. A worker used a skid steer to lift the owner in an attempt to push the tree off the power line when the victim was electrocuted and died at the scene, according to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

No further information was released.

MIOSHA reports that the business owner's death is the 32nd workplace death in 2026 and the second electrocution in August. On Aug. 13, a 48-year-old electric utility worker was performing overhead electric work when they were electrocuted. 

On Aug. 18, a 43-year-old maintenance technician in Kalamazoo was welding inside a pneumatically powered scrap chute when the pneumatic clamshell closed, causing their death, according to state officials. 

MIOSHA investigated 46 workplace-related deaths in Michigan in 2025.