Equipment operator dies after scraper overturns - Virginia, March 14, 1996.
Source
NIOSH 1996 Sep; :1-5
Abstract
The death of a 47 year old man who was operating a scraper when it overturned during a parkway construction project was investigated. The man worked for a road construction company which employed about 160 workers. He had been moving earth out of a cut area into a fill area and was in the process of completing a U-turn. During the turn, the right tire of the scraper's tractor ran up onto an elevated berm, allowing the machine to tip slowly to the left. As he jumped free of the cab he slipped and fell. He was crushed by the top bar of the rollover protective structure. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was multiple crush injuries of the thorax, abdomen and lower extremities. It was recommended that operators of earthmoving equipment be aware of the hazards of trying to leave equipment during overturns and that they should be told to remain inside the protection of the rollover equipment with their seat belts fastened. Operators should be made aware of the importance of maintaining the lowest possible center of gravity for the machine at all times, and that haul road routes should be free from overturn hazards caused by sharply contrasting gradients and curves.
Keywords
NIOSH-Author; Region-3; FACE-96-16; Accident-analysis; Equipment-operators; Road-construction; Traumatic-injuries; Construction-Search
Document Type
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation; Field Studies
NTIS Accession No.
PB97-111199
Identifying No.
FACE-96-16
Source Name
Division of Safety Research, NIOSH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Morgantown, West Virginia, Report No. FACE-96-16, 5 pages
