Owner of Farm Land Died Due to a Tractor Overturn to the Side into a Ravine

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE) ; Michigan State University. Department of Medicine. Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Description:
  In spring 2015, a male farm land owner in his 80s died when his 585 International tractor, equipped with a front end loader and from which he had removed the rollover protection structure, rolled over to the side into a ravine. Strapped to a carrying mechanism on the rear of the tractor was a tank containing herbicide. The decedent had been in his rented field conducting weed-killing hand spraying activities at the field/woods edge. As he was returning home in the rain, he came across a washout of the ravine edge on the passenger side of the tractor. The tractor rolled to the side down the ravine wall, pinning him under the tractor. When a family member could not reach him on his cell phone, the family member called another family member to look for him. The family member and the farmer who rented the land were walking to where the decedent was last seen and found the overturned tractor. The family member called another family member who called for emergency response. The decedent was declared dead at the scene. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: 1. Decedent removed the rollover protection structure and did not replace it with an equivalent means of protection. 2. Field crop planted two- to three-feet from ravine wall edge. 3. Cell phone model could not track incoming weather pattern. 4. Working alone. 5. Possible operator fatigue. RECOMMENDATIONS - MIFACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1. Tractor owners should ensure their tractors have a manufacturer-approved, certified, tractor specific rollover protection structure (ROPS) and seatbelts installed. 2. Establish crop-planting limits/boundaries to maintain farm machine access to other fields/areas. 3. When working alone, establish a check-in procedure with another individual to help assure changing weather conditions can be communicated and prompt emergency assistance provided. 4. Be aware of the dangers of fatigue and weariness when operating tractors and take frequent breaks.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Agriculture Environment Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Family Farmers Fatigue Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mortality Occupational Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Accident Analysis Accident Potential Accident Prevention Agricultural Machinery Agricultural Safety Agricultural Workers Cell Phones Climatic Factors Communications Equipment Crop Spraying Environmental Factors Environmental Hazards Families Fatalities Ground Stability Injuries Injury Prevention Machine Operation OSHA Region 5 Recommendations Rest Periods Rollover Protective Structures ROPS Safety Equipment Safety Practices Tractors Traumatic Injuries

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Agriculture ; Machine (All) ; Machine - Farming
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE15MI031
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055866
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-101091
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 15MI031, 2018 Oct ; :1-9
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:27e86414b30027ccb0d7165a9b5c0eba18540445cd180346877b3e82dac5040a3f1c083023b07c76093ca5ca41f59314eb3ff67d0c914b7619c7c05f43be52ca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164948/cdc_164948_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.36 MB ]