Farm owner dies during tractor overturn.
Source
NIOSH 2004 Feb; :1-4
Abstract
On August 9th, 2004 a 76-year-old dairy farm owner was fatally injured when the tractor he was operating overturned, pinning him underneath the tractor. The farmer had been moving large round hay bales from a field using a hay wagon pulled by a tractor when the incident occurred. As the farmer attempted to drive the tractor/wagon combination down a sloping farm lane, the weight of the loaded wagon overcame the tractor, pushing the tractor to the side of the lane. The wagon continued forward and pushed the tractor into a jack-knifed position, causing the steel tongue connecting the wagon and tractor to snap in half, thus allowing the wagon to continue down the slope. The tractor continued to skid to the side and eventually overturned, pinning the victim underneath the tractor. The victim's grandson arrived on the scene shortly after the incident occurred and went for help, asking the victim's wife to call 911. After the local emergency squad and personnel from the County Sheriff's office arrived, the medical examiner was contacted and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. New York State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (NY FACE) investigators concluded that to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future: 1. The weight of tractor/trailer combinations should be properly matched to ensure safe towing operation; 2. All agricultural tractors should be equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and a seatbelt; 3. Tractor brakes should be routinely inspected and maintained for uniform operation.
Keywords
Region-2; 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; Farmers; Agricultural-industry; Agricultural-workers; Agriculture; Tractors; Personal-protective-equipment; Protective-equipment; Agricultural-machinery
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2006-102398
Identifying No.
FACE-04NY077; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-220784
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New York State Department of Health. Health Research Incorporated
