Rollover Protective Structures and Seat Belts Keep Employees Safe When Operating Zero-Turn Mowers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Massachusetts. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  Why is worker safety at risk? When manufacturers provide rollover protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts on zero-turn mowers, the safest way to operate the mower is with the ROPS in the upright position and the seatbelt fastened. Not using the manufacturer provided ROPS and seat belt when operating a zero-turn mower increases the potential of injury in the event the mower overturns. Employers, it is your responsibility to provide training on how to properly use these commercial mowers, including the ROPS and seat belt. In addition to training, employers must ensure ROPS are always in the upright position and a seat belt is used every time a zero-turn mower is being operated by a worker. What happened in Massachusetts? In June 2017, a 57-year-old equipment operator was killed while operating a zero-turn mower with the ROPS folded down. At the time of the incident, the equipment operator was working alone while mowing grass. As the operator turned the mower to the left, it struck a low-lying rock covered by vegetation. The mower overturned, pinning the operator against the ground. Eventually, a motorist passing by noticed the overturned mower, stopped, and placed a call for emergency medical services (EMS). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Equipment Operation Landscape Services Workers Machine Safety Rollover Protective Structures ROPS Safety Practices Worker Safety
• Publisher:
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Guidance
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066444
• Citation:
  Boston, MA: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2019 Apr; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health - Boston
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Rollover protective structures and seat belts keep employees safe when operating zero-turn mowers
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6b65994bd28745dae187731965a0bd1b3431c8ac5f97067e5a411b528c1fdf658f2ad8339b9c5f442ab4302588fd1f17eb626661863017ab3672756d28f0151c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212869/cdc_212869_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB ]