Agriculture Fatality Narrative: Sweeper Crushed in Hay Press Bale Elevator

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 59-year-old floor sweeper died when he was crushed in a hay press bale elevator. He worked for his employer, a hay and straw exporter, for three years on the night shift sweeping the floor of the hay processing plant. When the incident occurred, the sweeper was performing his usual duty of cleaning up hay that fell on the floor around the hay press. He was using a broom with an extended handle that allowed him to sweep at a safe distance from moving parts of the press. However, just after midnight, the sweeper entered a 10-foot wide opening under the press operator's station toward the hay bale elevator. During normal operation, the elevator lowered finished bales from the press and used a pusher to slide them across an output platform for removal and packing. The elevator was in full upward position over five feet above the floor when the sweeper walked under it. Seconds later, the elevator came down and pinned his legs on the floor and his torso on the output platform in front of him. Then, a 1,000-pound bale fell onto the elevator from the ejector above and crushed him facedown for 18 seconds before the pusher slid the bale out across his torso. Three co-workers heard a scream and ran to the elevator. The press operator saw the crushed sweeper and shut off the machine. First responders had the workers pull him from the press, but he died at the scene. Workers told investigators the sweeper knew about the machine's hazards and did not know why he entered the machine. Following the incident, investigators found: The hay press had no physical barrier to stop workers from entering the elevator while the machine was running. The employer stated no barriers were installed because the sweeper would not be able to keep the area clean. A manufacturer's warning sign above the output platform stated, "Do not enter unless elevator is on the floor-in English and Spanish. The employer's hay press safety training was more protective in instructing workers to never enter the press when it was not locked out. No sign was posted on the machine where the worker entered. The employer did not ensure their hay press safety training program was effective and enforced. REQUIREMENTS: Protect employees from hazards created by the point of operation by using one or more safeguarding methods. Develop, supervise, implement, and enforce training programs to improve the skill, awareness, and competency of all your employees in the field of occupational safety and health. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Supervise, evaluate, and enforce worker performance of lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedure requirements according to hay press safety training and machine manufacturer's safety manual. Perform risk assessments with the machine manufacturer to improve safeguarding features, such as barrier fencing, fixed guards, interlocking gates, light curtains, and emergency stops (E-Stop) locations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Equipment Operation Fatalities Hazards Injuries Machine Operators Machine Safety Safety Education Safety Practices Training Worker Safety

  More +
• 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
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067882
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-241-2023, 2023 Jun; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Agriculture fatality narrative: sweeper crushed in hay press bale elevator.
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8c384fb26f14a69d6f91cb657c8a1735fc31bca1d5cedc0e614b40e4a6ab5692764c2612493d4130c0a42b977a6dc410d067bfd74bc785ec89e3d81cd884ac7d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229191/cdc_229191_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 316.02 KB ]