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Farm Worker Dies of Burn-Related Injuries while Trapped in a Burning Hay Baler - Oklahoma
Full text linkA 17-year-old male died when he became trapped in a hay baler that caught fire. The farm worker was working alone baling dried wheat straw for hay. Evidence suggests that the round hay baler became jammed (plugged), and the clutch temporarily shut down the power take-off device (PTO). The worker apparently climbed on top of the baler to clear the jammed wheat straw by using his feet. The jam cleared, and the clutch put the PTO back into motion. The baler rollers suddenly started moving and trapped the worker's leg inside the baler. The rollers and belts spinning around the hay started a fire. A neighbor passed the field, noticed the fire, and notified the worker's father of the fire. The worker's father notified the fire department and went to the field. The father uncoupled the baler and moved the tractor away from the burning hay baler. The father then found his son (the worker) suspended in the baler. The worker died at the scene from smoke inhalation and burns. FACE investigators concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers (including persons who are self-employed) should: 1. ensure that safe work practices are followed, including disengaging the PTO and shutting off the engine prior to working on agricultural machinery; 2. ensure that machinery is maintained and operated according to manufacturer's specifications, including adjusting the baler pick-up height for correct ground clearance and adjusting the ground speed with the crop conditions and windrow size; and 3. provide workers who work alone with a means of remote communication for use in cases of emergency.Cooperative Agreemen
Farmer Dies from Becoming Entangled in an Unshielded Auger
Full text linkA 46-year-old male farmer (victim) died from injuries sustained when he became entangled in the unshielded auger of a cattle lot feedbunk. The victim was unloading feed from an upright silo equipped with an automatic silo unloader. The feed dropped down the silo chute and into a pile at one end of the feedbunk. The unshielded auger filled the feedbunk by moving feed down the center of the feedbunk. While the system was operating, the victim apparently entered the feedbunk and walked approximately one third of the distance down it. He either slipped and fell or attempted to step over the auger, and his right leg became entangled in the auger. He sustained several large lacerations on the back side of his right thigh. After a fuse blew for the auger motor and the system stopped, he freed himself from the auger. He climbed out of the feedbunk and either walked or crawled a short distance to exit the cattle lot. He entered the farm yard and continued approximately 25 to 30 feet past the silo where he collapsed and died. MN FACE investigators concluded that, in order to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: 1. all augers should be stopped, and the power source locked out, before operators attempt to perform any service or repair work; and 2. all augers should be shielded to prevent operators from becoming entangled.Cooperative Agreemen
Male Roofer Dies After Falling From a House Roof
Full text linkA 38-year-old male roofer (victim) was fatally injured after falling approximately 20 feet from a house roof. No personal protective equipment was being used at the time of the incident. He and a coworker were marking a 4 by 25-foot area of the roof with a chalk line for removal. This roof area had been damaged by water; it was sagging and not totally solid. As the coworker held the chalk line holder stationary, the victim pulled out line as he backed up. He apparently was unaware of his distance from the roof edge and, as the roofers were talking, the victim fell off the roof backwards. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. MN FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent future similar occurrences, employers should: 1. provide fall protection including catch platforms or safety belts and lifelines when working from elevations; 2. consider and address worker safety in the planning phase of construction projects; and 3. develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive safety program that includes, but is not limited to, training in fall hazard recognition and the use of fall protection devices.Cooperative Agreemen
Farmer Dies After Being Pinned Under Overturned Tractor
Full text linkA 92-year-old male farmer (the victim) died after the tractor he was driving overturned and he was pinned under the seat. He had been using the tractor with a front bucket loader to grade the driveway on his property. The victim was backing the tractor into the driveway when the rear wheel went into the ditch and the tractor overturned, pinning him under the tractor seat. The tractor was not equipped with a rollover protection structure (ROPS). His daughter and her husband witnessed the event, but it happened too quickly for their warnings to prevent the overturn. The daughter ran to the house and called 911, while her husband went to a neighbor's farm to get a tractor. The son-in-law returned to the scene within ten minutes, at about the same time as the emergency services vehicles. The EMS used air bags to raise the tractor enough to remove the victim from under the tractor. The ambulance transported him to the local hospital, then he was flown to a regional medical facility where he died two weeks later. To prevent future fatalities of this type, the FACE investigator recommends farm tractor owners and operators should: 1. Avoid using tractors that are not fully equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS). 2. Evaluate the terrain prior to beginning an operation with a tractor, and mark hidden hazards for visibility.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Drowns in Recirculation Pit in Iowa
No full textAn examination was made into the May 25th, 1988 death of a 21 year old male operator at an aerobic wastewater treatment facility in Iowa. There were two municipal employees who worked at the facility, the superintendent and the operator. At the time of the incident, the superintendent was driving a contractor to town to pick up a piece of equipment. The operator apparently fell into the recirculation pit while performing general maintenance duties, and was sucked to the bottom and trapped. He had been assigned to hosing down foam in an adjacent transfer pit. While it was possible to hose down the foam from another location, it is thought likely that the victim went inside the railing and was standing on a fiberglass panel over the recirculation pit or the transfer pit, or on an 8 inch curb around the front of the pit. There was no indication of an oxygen deficient atmosphere or that toxic gases had been present at the time to overcome the worker. It is recommended that employers conduct job hazard analyses to identify potential hazards, that employers develop a written safety program with procedures specific to the wastewater treatment facility, and that the employer develop, implement and enforce confined space entry procedures.Publication date provided by the authoring office. There is no publication date indicated on the resource
Hispanic worker falls from residential roof \u2013 North Carolina
No full textOn April 19, 2012, a 37-year-old Hispanic male laborer fell approximately 13.5 feet from a residential roof to a concrete driveway; he died immediately from his injuries. The laborer was working with a crew of eight Hispanic workers for a construction subcontractor replacing shingles on a roof accessed by a ladder. At the time of the incident, five workers were on the roof, including the laborer who was out of sight of his coworkers working on the garage side of the home. When the incident occurred, the co-workers heard the laborer hit the ground, rushed to his aid, and called 911. Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the incident and the laborer was pronounced dead at the scene
Machine Operator Killed In Masonry Block Palletizing Machine
Full text linkOn August 8, 2001, a 30-year-old machine operator was killed when his head was crushed in a masonry block-palletizing machine. The incident occurred at a plant that manufactured masonry (cement) block. The victim was a machine operator who oversaw the automated machinery that made the blocks and stacked the finished blocks on wooden pallets. The victim was working at the "cuber," a machine that arranged the rectangular blocks into a pattern that allowed them to be evenly loaded onto a square wooden pallet. There were no witnesses to the incident. Apparently, the victim was reaching into the machine with a hooked metal rod to clear a jam when his head was caught between a moving machine arm and a large bolt on the machine. NJ FACE investigators recommend following these safety guidelines to prevent future incidents: 1. Employers should develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive safety program in the safe operation and maintenance of machinery. 2. All machines should be shut down, de-energized, and locked out before performing any type of maintenance or repairs. 3. Employers must ensure that machine guards are always kept in place. 4. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers. 5. Employers should become familiar with available resources on safety standards and safe work practices.Cooperative Agreemen
Logging Equipment Manager Dies in Helicopter Tail Rotor Strike -- Alaska
Full text linkOn November 20, 1994, a 43-year-old, male equipment manager (victim) died as a result of walking into the rotating tail rotor of a helicopter at a snow-covered, isolated landing pad, which was serving a logging camp. The equipment manager was in the process of moving from the helicopter to his parked truck to pick-up his personal gear. He had just talked to the pilot about getting a ride to a nearby community. After the pilot told him he would be leaving in about ten minutes, the victim began to walk back along the starboard side of the helicopter boom. He then crossed underneath the boom and walked directly into the tail rotor located on the port side of the boom. The pilot heard a noise and saw the victim lying on the ground. CPR was performed on the victim for approximately 25 minutes. He was then declared dead at the scene. Based on the findings of the epidemiological investigation, to prevent similar occurrences policy makers, regulators, and employers should: 1. conduct a comprehensive review of safety practices related to aviation support activities at remote logging camps. The regulations, policies, and practices regarding "hot refueling" of rotary aircraft at remote sites should also be reviewed. In addition, based on the findings of the epidemiological investigation, to prevent similar occurrences employers should: 2. ensure that, when possible, paths for passengers to and from an aircraft landing pad at a work site are clearly marked with colored flags, cones, or ropes. Safety information should be posted at all sites routinely used as landing pads. 3. ensure that all workers, who may be in the vicinity of aircraft, receive appropriate training (on a regular basis) related to ingress and egress safety, and other aspects of aviation safety related to ground operations.Cooperative Agreemen
Farmer Run Over by a Tractor and/or Manure Spreader
Full text linkOn July 7, 2001, a 58-year-old male part-time farmer died from injuries sustained while spreading manure in a nearby vacant open field with rolling hills. It appears that just after cresting a hill with a full manure spreader, he stopped the tractor, perhaps to retrieve his hat that had blown off of his head. Leaving the tractor running, the front-end loader bucket in the raised position, he dismounted from the tractor. After the victim dismounted, the tractor began to roll down the hill. The sequence of events leading to the fatal injury is unknown. It appears that the victim was run over first by the rear tractor tire and subsequently the manure spreader. The victim's hat was located approximately 57 feet from where the victim was found, in the direction of the wind. No one saw the incident. When the victim did not return home, his wife went to look for him. When found, 911 was called. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Recommendations: 1. All tractor operators should follow safe equipment shutdown procedures as described in the operator's manual. 2. Equipment owners should maintain equipment in good operating condition. 3. Equipment owners should ensure that all relevant manuals, such as an owner's and operator's manuals are available for each piece of equipment for the operator to consult for safe operating procedures, service/maintenance, and to ensure that the tractor size and capacity is appropriate for the implement being used. 4. If unattended equipment begins to move, operators should remain clear of its path of travel and not attempt to remount until the equipment has come to a complete stop.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Construction Laborer Dies After Being Struck by a Front End Loader at a Construction Site - Pennsylvania
Full text linkOn June 10, 1997 at approximately 11:00 a.m., a 20-year old male construction worker (the victim) was struck by a Caterpillar Model 966 D front end loader at a construction site and died 13 hours later. The victim was collecting manifests and directing the traffic flow for incoming trucks, which were unloading stone and sand at a concrete batch plant. After directing a dump truck to unload its load of sand, the victim was struck by the left rear of the front end loader as it was backing from the ramp leading to the sand and gravel hoppers. The front end loader backed over the victim with the left rear tire, which caused severe thoracic injuries that resulted in the victim's death. At the time of the incident, the backup alarm and front horn on the front end loader were not operational. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers should: ensure that backup alarms, horns, and other safety equipment are functional and tested daily on construction equipment on construction equipment which is so equipped. Equipment that has nonfunctioning backup alarms, horns, or other safety equipment should be removed from service until it is repaired; ensure that construction workers who are directing traffic flow are placed in a location where they are visible to equipment and vehicle operators. Traffic control procedures should be designed and implemented to allow for construction-site traffic and safe personnel mobility