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Farmer dies after becoming entangled in the drive mechanism of a snow blower.

Minnesota Department of Health

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 95MN068, 1996 May; :1-4

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mn/95mn068.html

20027521

The victim was alone at the time that the incident occurred. This report is based on a review of a written sheriff's department report, and a review of their photos of the incident site. A 36-year-old farmer (victim) died after he became entangled in a tractor mounted snow blower. The two stage snow blower consisted of a horizontal auger and a multi-blade discharge fan. The horizontal auger extended the full width of the blower. It was driven by a horizontal shaft that extended from a gear box in the center of the blower to a drive sprocket on one side of the blower. The victim stopped the tractor near a farm building and dismounted from it. The tractor engine was left running and the power-take-off was not disengaged. The victim walked to an area near a drive chain and sprockets on the right side of the blower. While he was in the vicinity of the chain and sprockets, the right sleeve of his coveralls became entangled in one of the sprockets. He was pulled against the blower and was unable to free himself as his clothing wrapped around the shaft and sprocket. A neighbor discovered the victim entangled in the snow blower. He immediately stopped the tractor engine and called emergency personnel. They arrived shortly after being notified, removed the victim and pronounced him dead at the scene. MN FACE investigators concluded that to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: 1. operators should disengage the power-take-off before dismounting from a tractor; 2. operators should turn off the engine and remove the key before dismounting from a tractor; and 3. operators should not wear loose-fitting clothing near operating machines.

Region-5; Accident-analysis; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Work-operations; Work-analysis; Work-areas; Work-performance; Work-practices; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-measures; Safety-monitoring; Protective-measures; Farmers; Agricultural-machinery; Agricultural-workers; Tractors; Safety-clothing; Equipment-operators

19960524

Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation

Cooperative Agreement

1996

PB2014-105068

A01

FACE-95MN068; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-507283

NAICS-11

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

MN; WV

Minnesota Department of Health