Farmer Dies When He Is Crushed Under Overturned Tractor in Ditch

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE) ; Michigan State University. Department of Medicine. Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Description:
  On June 13, 2003, a 74-year-old male farmer was killed when his wide-front, Massey Ferguson model 65 Diesel tractor and 10-12-foot pull-type antique disc overturned into a 6- to 8- foot, steeply cut ditch that contained water. This was an unwitnessed event. It appeared that the victim exited a private drive after he completed turning over the soybean stubble in his field so he could plant corn. After exiting the private drive, he turned to his left and drove northbound in the southbound lane of a gravel road. He may not have completely straightened the tractor's front wheels. The tractor's gearshift did not work properly and he may have been having difficulty placing the tractor in a higher gear. He unknowningly drifted to his left and left the roadway because the wheels were not completely straightened and his attention was diverted to manipulating the gearshift. The tractor's left front tire contacted the soft dirt near the ditch edge, the tire entered the ditch, and the tractor overturned to the side, pinning the victim in the ditch. All four of the tractor tires were pointing in the air. A passerby found him and called for emergency response. Emergency response arrived and declared the victim dead at the scene. Recommendations: 1. Equip older tractors with a roll-over protection structure (ROPS) and a seat belt ; the local county extension agent, local equipment dealer or equipment manufacturer should be contacted to see if a retro-fit ROPS/seat belt system is available. 2. Ensure farm equipment is maintained according to manufacturer specifications.
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Agriculture
  • Farmers
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Safety Management
• Keywords:
  • OSHA Region 5
  • Accident-analysis
  • Accident-potential
  • Accident-prevention
  • Accidents
  • Injuries
  • Injury-prevention
  • Safety-education
  • Safety-equipment
  • Safety-practices
  More +
• 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/NIOSHSFACE03MI066
• 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:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028076
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2006-112785
• 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 03MI066, 2005 Aug ; :1-4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2002/09/01
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Resource Number:
  FACE-03MI066
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166926/cdc_166926_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 685.70 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7282583f67bf091a65f779b890b460c1a65dfb3eb4c89f36d879e7813218b82fc97270a6633d2ec03d6fa0a0a97c8244035bc50a79ad7b1bebe1e130abbd9358