Vineyard worker killed in fall from trailer

Oregon Case Report:13OR005
Release Date: December 2014

The following report is the product of our Cooperative State partner and is presented here in its original unedited form from the state. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the individual Cooperative State partner and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

SUMMARY

It was the end of the day, workers were returning to the equipment shop after applying pesticide in the vineyard. On the crew was a 41-year old worker who had worked for the employer for five years. Witnesses reported that he was standing on a make-shift wooden platform that had been attached to a trailer mounted 400 gallon chemical tank containing pesticide. The make-shift wooden platforms were created and installed by the employer. The trailer was in tow by a tractor. The worker’s baseball cap blew off while he was riding on the platform on the moving trailer. He stepped off the platform to retrieve his cap. Once back on the platform, or as he was stepping onto the platform, the worker lost his balance and fell to the ground. He sustained a fatal head injury in the fall when his head struck a large rock.

Vineyard worker killed in fall from trailer [PDF 310 KB]