Abstract
On July 6, 1997, a 25-year-old laborer (the victim) died after being caught in the boom linkage of a skid-steer loader. The victim and two other workers were clearing brush and tree stumps from a residential site. Using a skid-steer loader from which the side screens had been removed, the victim was gathering brush and stumps and loading them into a dump truck. While the victim was loading the truck, the other workers were working nearby. A resident who was in the area noticed that hydraulic fluid was spraying from the left side of the loader and notified one of the workers. When the worker went to the machine to check, he found the victim seated in the operator's seat with his head caught in the boom linkage and hydraulic fluid leaking from the bucket cylinder hydraulic line. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to prevent similar incidents, employers should: ensure that all guards, including side screens, are properly secured before skid-steer loaders are placed in operation; ensure that employees fully comprehend the necessity of maintaining pinch point guards such as skid-steer loader side screens in place; implement inspection programs to ensure that mobile equipment is maintained free of defects which affect safe operation.
