Landscaper Died When the Arms of a Skid-Steer Loader Crushed His Upper Body and Head

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE) ; Michigan State University. Department of Medicine. Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Description:
  On May 27, 2004, a 27-year-old male landscape supervisor was killed when the lowering arms of a skid-steer loader crushed his head and upper body. The victim and his crew were clearing the back yard and uprooting small diameter trees and tree stumps for a newly constructed house. The victim was operating a Case brand model 1845C skid-steer loader equipped with a 73-inch bucket to uproot small diameter (one to two inches) trees and tree stumps. Although this was an unwitnessed incident, the following scenario has been developed based on routine work practices as indicated by company personnel. To uproot the tree involved in this incident, he wrapped a 16-foot 3/8-inch binder chain around the base of the tree and wrapped the other end of the chain around the bucket's stabilizing bar. He placed the skid steer in reverse. As he was backing up, he raised the bucket to lift the tree roots from the ground. After removing the tree and with the bucket in the air, he raised the skid steer's safety bar and exited the cab. Standing on the ground under the raised bucket, he attempted to unwrap the chain from the tree. He was unable to remove the chain because of the tension on the chain caused by the raised bucket. He reached into the cab, lowered the safety bar, and began to operate the controls to lower the bucket. As the bucket lowered, he was unable to remove himself from beneath the raised arms of the skid steer and he was crushed between the skid-steer loader's arms and frame. A fellow worker heard a sound, turned around and saw the victim. He notified another worker, who ran to the residence where the crew was working. The homeowner called 9-1-1. His fellow workers raised the skid-steer loader arms and began CPR. Emergency response arrived and declared the victim dead at the scene. Recommendations: 1. Construction employers should develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive accident prevention program that includes, but is not limited to, training in hazard recognition and avoidance. 2. Operators of skid-steer loaders should be trained in and follow the manufacturer's recommended procedures to safely operate, service, maintain, and exit the skid-steer loader. 3. Employers should ensure that skid-steer loader operators follow the procedures for which they have been trained, including prohibiting them from working underneath raised lift arms if an approved lift arm support is not available. 4. Company management should consider developing a joint health and safety committee. 5. Employers should establish and enforce a thorough vehicle maintenance and inspection program.
• Content Notes:
  Publication Date provided by FACE program
  
  not printed on the report.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Construction Construction-workers Equipment-operators Health-programs Injuries Injury-prevention Lawn-and-garden-equipment OSHA Region 5 Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-practices Safety-programs Training Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-performance Work-practices

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction ; Machine (All) ; Machine - Construction ; Landscaping Services
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE04MI066
• 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:
  10 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026842
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2007-102737
• 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 04MI066, 2005 Mar ; :1-10
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2002/09/01
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:be1fb3854f37e32039a51951d62f34aa9cddb09833ba295ad2b262c8394cfb28fb74b0c9e3b48d5cdf503c1002d1ef29063e9b571f1130856dc53bba07331531
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169151/cdc_169151_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 727.16 KB ]