If your boss doesn't have worker's comp coverage, and you're an actual employee (not a subcontractor that provides his own tools and sets his own schedule), he is still financially on the hook for the injuries, and is also criminally liable for not having the required worker's comp insurance. You could report him to the state worker's comp board, and he'd be investigated. You could either make a claim against the state uninsured worker's fund or sue his company directly for any injuries that occurred. Some injuries may bankrupt a company that doesn't have worker's comp, such as permanent paralysis or brain damage from a tree that fell the wrong way and hit someone. Safe work practices are good, but only go so far, and tree work is intrinsically dangerous no matter which precautions are in place. Personally, I'd favor abolishing the worker's comp system, and replacing it with an at-fault system, where the employer would only be liable for the direct actions he took. For instance, if you picked up a log the wrong way and hurt your back, that would be on you, but if your boss dropped a branch on your head and didn't warn you first to get out of the way, he'd be liable. This would greatly reduce the costs of the system and make it much more fair. In the meantime though, compliance with the law is the only acceptable option.
