Family Dairy Farm Worker Dies When Tractor Rolls down Embankment

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  On July 28, 2020, a 56-year-old family dairy farm worker died when his tractor rolled down an embankment. He was operating a tractor built in 1971 that did not have a rollover protective structure (ROPS) and seat belt. The tractor was towing a 25-plus-foot lagoon pump trailer on a narrow, bumpy, and rutted dirt track road. The road was on the crest of an earthen embankment that surrounded the farm's manure pond. The lone worker was using the pump to agitate water and cow waste solids stored in the pond and spray the mixture as soil fertilizer in nearby feed crop fields. The pond area was dark, as it was two hours before sunrise. The only light came from the tractor and nearby farm buildings. The tractor was traveling close to the unmarked edge of the road. As the tractor turned sharply near its final destination, its front left wheel got caught in a rut that caused the tractor to roll over the edge down the outer slope of the embankment. The worker fell to the ground, and the tractor's 3-point hitch fatally pinned him against his back. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: Rollover protective structure (ROPS) and seat belts not installed. No accident prevention program (APP) or safety training. Operating near edge of dark, narrow, and rutted embankment road. No lighting, warning signs, or reflective markers on embankment road. RECOMMENDATIONS: Washington FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Install manufacturer-approved, certified ROPS and seat belts on tractors. Develop a formal, written APP with job hazard analysis (JHA) and ROPS and seat belt safety training requirements. Improve tractor safety on embankments by assessing road and slope hazards, installing lights, and marking edges of roads with visual cues, such as reflective driveway stakes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Agriculture Farmers Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Agricultural Machinery Agricultural Safety Agricultural Workers Equipment Design Equipment Operation Equipment Operators Farm Workers Fatalities Hazards Injuries Machine Operation Machine Operators Machine Safety Protective Measures Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Tractors Training Work Environment Worker Safety

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• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066898
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 52-54-2023, 2023 Feb; :1-16
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Family dairy farm worker dies when tractor rolls down embankment
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2bd95583d67578e85e5eaf7203987d52c5d3f569ba415b42075f3d7c5bd53214bcb5a2eb8ca69972aedc473a3159a83959c145ea198ddb4dcafe6bbf9579a909
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229158/cdc_229158_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 953.92 KB ]