Agriculture Fatality Narrative: Apple Orchard Worker Dies When Tractor Rolls Over

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 22-year-old tractor operator at an apple orchard died when his tractor rolled over. He was employed at the orchard for just over a year. His duties included tractor operation, spraying pesticides, mowing grass, and various other farming tasks. On the incident day, the worker was operating a low-profile utility tractor to pick and move wooden bins full of apples harvested at the orchard. The tractor had a set of forks attached to the rear 3-point hitch. The tractor had a rollover protective structure (ROPS) and a seat belt installed, but the operator was not using them. The operator drove the tractor down a steep, rocky, uneven dirt road, which had an 18-21 degree grade. When he tried to make a right turn at the bottom of the hill, the tractor rolled to the left, and threw him to the ground towards the rear of the tractor. When the tractor rolled onto its side, the lower portion of the forks landed on the operator's skull. Although no one saw the incident, another operator saw the tractor on its side and yelled to a manager who was nearby. When they found the worker face down, gasping for air, the manager called 911. First responders arrived minutes later and pronounced the worker dead at the scene. Following the incident, investigators found: The tractor's ROPS was not in the upright position even though no substantial overhead obstructions were present. The employer did not ensure tractor ROPS was used as required. The tractor's seat belt had a faulty retractor and webbing covered with caked dirt, indicating it had not been used recently. The employer did not ensure tractor seat belts were used as required. The employer did not provide tractor operator safety training and skill and knowledge evaluations. Excessive speed could have been a contributing factor as a manager warned the operator to slow down about 15 minutes before the rollover occurred. RECOMMENDATIONS - FACE investigators concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Develop policy requirements for ROPS and seat belt use and tractor operator safety training in your written accident prevention program (APP). Review requirements with operators frequently. Provide ample supervision of tractor operators and always enforce tractor safety policy requirements. Provide documented, hands-on tractor operator training, including refresher training, on a regular, ongoing basis. Ensure the training emphasizes showing operators how to prevent rollovers by avoiding excessive speed, navigating rough and steep terrain, and maintaining a safe turning radius. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Agriculture Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Agricultural Safety Fatalities Safety Education Tractors
• 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:20068529
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-245-2023, 2023 Sep; :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: apple orchard worker dies when tractor rolls over
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:04a3f3941f5a4d1eafcdda1c3586e1dd4e082f8ced7c5b664eb923f9a0a51e714a38f64a81ae00a05684181808eb782b5d5aaf0937b3cd6acd7a9e1ff4b08150
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229198/cdc_229198_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 273.67 KB ]