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Farmer is run over by disc after falling from tractor
Get PDFBecause access to the scene and inspection of the equipment were not possible in this case, a partial inspection was done. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the evidence collected. A 68-year-old farmer died when he fell from his tractor into the path of an attached disc. The victim had begun discing a tobacco field about 3:00 p.m., minutes after his wife and son left for second-shift work at a factory. After completing one field, he proceeded to a second field to complete the afternoon's work. The second field was across a small gulley. As the victim drove the tractor through the gulley, he fell from the moving tractor and was run over by the disc.Cooperative Agreemen
Logger Fatally Injured by Falling Tree
Get PDFA 73-year-old male self-employed logger (the victim) was killed when he presumably was struck on the head by a branch of a falling tree. He and his son, the only other logger on site, had finished a break and had been working approximately 30 minutes when the incident occurred. The son was operating a skidder attached to the base of a tree that had been cut, but was still standing, nearly vertical, hung in the fork of another tree. He was pulling the base away from the stump so that the tree would fall to the ground. The father was watching, waiting for the tree to come down so that he could begin trimming away the branches. After the tree hit the ground, the son got off the skidder intending to help his father trim the branches, but he didn't see his father. Searching the site, he found his father unresponsive, slumped forward on his knees, in the branches of the fallen tree. Since there were no telephones on site, the son took a van that they had parked in a clearing nearby to call for help. As he was driving through a pasture toward the landowners\u2019 house, he came upon the landowner who was loading cattle and asked him to go to the house to call 911 so that he could return to the scene. Upon returning to his father, the son had to cut away some branches in order to reach him. He moved his father out from under the branches and held him in his lap, waiting for help to arrive. Emergency medical services (EMS) were dispatched to the scene after receiving the call at 7:40 a.m., and arrived at 8:00 a.m. One of the EMS workers, also being a coroner, pronounced the victim dead at the scene, immediately upon their arrival. In order to prevent similar instances from occurring, FACE investigators recommend that: 1. Loggers should attend the Master Logger Program for education regarding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) logging standards and safety procedures. 2. A clear escape path should always be planned when felling a tree and no one except for the person cutting the tree, or in this case, skidding the tree, should be in the area. 3. A hazard assessment of the logging site should be completed before beginning work to identify and control potential hazards. 4. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn at the logging site.Cooperative Agreemen
Electrician Dies Working on Energized Electrical Circuit in New Jersey
Get PDFA two-man crew of electricians was installing new wiring through an existing conduit in a department store ceiling. While using a personnel lift to work overhead, one of the workers made contact with an energized 277-volt electrical circuit. He was electrocuted and fell out of the lift. FACE investigators concluded that in order to prevent future similar occurrences employers and employees must: 1. deenergize all electrical circuits whenever any chance of making contact exists; 2. utilize fall protection whenever a chance of a serious fall exists.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report; Formerly NJ9004Cooperative Agreemen
Part-Time Farmer is Killed in ROPS-Equipped Tractor Rollover
Get PDFA 60-year-old male minister and part-time farmer began mowing a 15-acre field near his home at about 11:00 am. Operating a farm tractor with a side sickle bar mower attached to the right side, he proceeded around the perimeter of the field. One edge of the field dropped off steeply to a ravine. While making the second pass around the field the ground under the left wheels gave way causing the tractor to roll over. The tractor came to rest on the victim causing massive internal injuries. A Roll Over Protective Structure (ROPS) had been retro-fitted to the 1962 tractor about ten years prior to the incident. The tractor did not have a seat belt. The FACE investigator concluded that to prevent future similar occurrences, tractor operators should: 1. Equip tractors with seat belts when operating ROPS equipped tractors. Operators should wear seat belts when operating ROPS equipped tractors.Cooperative Agreemen
Log Rolls off Truck at Sawmill Killing the Truck Driver
Get PDFIn November 1998, a 32-year-old male truck driver was killed when he was struck by a log that rolled off the top of his tractor trailer truck while preparing the truck for unloading at a sawmill complex. The victim accompanied by his father, had picked up a load of logs and transported them approximately 220 miles to the sawmill complex. He arrived at the mill with the logs secured by straps and stacked well above the standards of the trucks trailer. He drove to an unloading area. The victim and his father exited the truck and while the father waited at the front of the truck, the victim released the binders on the driver's side of the trailer. He then walked to the passenger's side of the trailer apparently to pull the straps off of the logs. One of the logs rolled off of the stack striking him. His father heard the thump of the falling log, walked to the passenger side of the trailer and found the victim. Sawmill employees initiated the call to EMS and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). EMS arrived in eight minutes and transported the victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. In order to prevent similar incidents from occurring, FACE investigators recommend: 1. The height of the logs should not exceed the height of the standards on the truck; 2. Binders on logs should not be released prior to securing the logs with an unloading line or device [Sawmill regulations - 1910.265(d)(1)(i)(b)]; 3. Binders should be released only from the side on which the unloader operates except when the person making the release is using a remote control device or is protected by racks or equivalent means [Sawmill regulations - 1910.265(d)(1)(i)(c)]; 4. Written policies should be in place regarding unloading procedures for loggers at the mill, and the policies should be enforced by the mill owners; and 5. Loggers should consider wearing head protection (a hard hat) to protect against head injuries from falling objects [Sawmill regulations - 1910.265(g)].Cooperative Agreemen
Farmer Killed When Tractor Punctures Gas Line Causing an Explosion
Get PDFA 62-year-old male was killed when the tractor he was operating punctured an aboveground gas line. He had recently moved to the area and was in the process of acquiring some land for farming. The land was overgrown with weeds and brush about 5 feet high. On a warm, clear afternoon he went out to clear the land with a tractor and rotary mower. Although the incident was unwitnessed, apparently, he began mowing the field near a roadway and was likely on the third pass when the front of the tractor ran into an aboveground valve of a natural gas pipeline (see Photographs 1 and 2) that was obscured by the overgrown brush. The 6-inch diameter steel pipe was punctured allowing natural gas to escape and causing an explosion that caught the tractor on fire and sent flames 40-50 feet into the air (see Photograph 3). By the time the first firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had destroyed the tractor and had burned a 40-foot circle around it (see Photographs 4, 5, and 6). The victim's body was found lying on the ground near the tractor, but rescue personnel could not reach him until the fire was contained almost an hour later. The coroner was called to the scene and pronounced the victim dead at 3:30 p.m. In order to prevent similar events from occurring, FACE investigators recommend to natural gas companies that: 1. Aboveground pipes and valves need to be clearly visible at all times, regardless of location, for safety and emergency purposes. 2. Regulations should be considered for maintaining the area around aboveground pipes and valves for visibility. 3. Aboveground sections of pipelines should be routinely checked for visibility and condition. In addition, FACE investigators recommend new landowners should: 4. Obtain the deed or plat for the land to assess for possible hazards before beginning work on unfamiliar territory.Cooperative Agreemen
Tugboat Deckhand Drowns After Falling Off Barge into River
Get PDFOn the evening of January 27, 1993, a 29-year-old tugboat deckhand fell from a barge into a large river that divided two states. He was on one of two barges being moved by a tugboat to a pier when he apparently fell into the water and drowned. His body was recovered on April 4, 1993, several months after the incident. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the following safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers and employees must ensure that personal protective gear such as life vests are worn at all times when working near water. Strict enforcement of company policies with regard to this equipment must be maintained by company supervisors. 2. Employers and employees should conduct a job hazard analysis to identify potential safety hazards. Employers should then implement appropriate control measures and employee training to correct the identified hazards. 3. Employers should explore engineering or equipment changes to prevent workers from falling overboard. 4. Employers should routinely conduct scheduled and unscheduled worksite safety inspectionsReleased: 1993/12/01; Formerly FACE 94-NJ-094-01Cooperative Agreemen
Dockman Drowns After Falling Off Pier into Water
Get PDFOn the evening of November 28, 1992, a 58-year-old dock worker fell from a pier into a large river that divides two states. He had untied most of the lines that secured a barge to the dock when he was witnessed to fall from the pier into the water. His body was found the next day. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the following safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers should conduct a hazard assessment of all jobs, preferably with the assistance of employees. 2. Life vests should be worn at all times when working on docks or near water. 3. Engineering or equipment changes should be implemented to prevent a worker from falling from a pier. 4. Workers should not work alone on the dock or in other potentially hazardous areas. 5. Employers and employees should be aware of the dangers of abuse of alcohol and other substances that may impair judgment or alertness at work.Formerly 93NJ042Cooperative Agreemen
Tractor/Baler Operator Killed in Entanglement
Get PDFAn 80-year-old full-time farmer died after being caught under a baler. The victim worked closely with his son on the 300-acre farm. He was working alone, driving a tractor with a baler attached, in an 8-acre field during a midafternoon in May. Having completed a portion of the field in the morning, the victim returned to the field after lunch to complete the task. Rain was forecast and the remainder of the field would take 4-5 hours to complete. The victim's son went to a nearby town to pick up parts for the round baler while the victim used a square baler to bale the previously cut alfalfa. About 5:00 pm the victim dismounted the tractor to clear a bale from underneath the baler; he had inadvertently run over it. He depressed the clutch, took the tractor out of gear, set the parking brake, left the engine running, and dismounted the tractor. He walked to the side of the baler, bent over and reached with his left hand under the baler in front of the baler wheel. The tractor and baler were parked on a gradual downward slope. Because the PTO was still running, the baler was jerking forward as the flywheel continued to rotate. The pulsating movement of the baler caused the tractor to inch forward as the victim was reaching underneath. The victim's right arm, being used to support his weight as he reached with his left, was run over by the baler wheel, trapping him. His clothing then became entangled in a rotating pulley adjacent to the baler wheel. The victim was strangled by his shirt as it wound up tight. He was discovered by his son a few hours later. Emergency medical responders came to the scene, the coroner was called, and the victim was pronounced dead at 7:10 pm. In order to prevent similar occurrences, FACE investigators recommend that: 1. machinery should be turned off by disengaging the PTO before approaching the equipment; 2. machines should be examined to ensure that all moving components are properly guarded; if better shielding is needed an authorized equipment dealer should be contacted to determine if safety modifications have been engineered or made available; 3. brakes should be set in unison to minimize the possibility of rolling; 4. operators should not wear loose fitting clothing when operating farm machinery. As well, clothing manufacturers should consider developing work clothes that will tear away in the event of entanglement and should label clothing which is tear resistant; 5. whenever possible, operators should not work alone.Cooperative Agreemen
Skidder Operator Thrown From Vehicle During Rollover
Get PDFA 50-year-old full-time logger (the victim) was killed when the skidder he was operating rolled down a hillside. He and two other loggers were working as contracted help at the timber harvest operation site. They leased a Timberjack skidder model 450 to haul the logs. At the time of the incident, the victim was operating the skidder at the top of the hillside, winching a load of three logs up the hill. At the edge of the hillside the slope was approximately 27 percent and then dropped off sharply to 70 percent. The skidder was braced against a tree about 6 inches in diameter as the logs were pulled up the hill with a winch. Because of the weight of the skidder, the tree gave way and the skidder rolled downhill. The vehicle overturned 2-3 times before coming to rest against a group of trees approximately 200 feet downhill. As the vehicle overturned, the victim, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the cab and thrown against a tree. He was killed instantly. Coworkers summoned Emergency Medical Services, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:40 am. In order to prevent similar events from occurring, FACE investigators recommend that: 1. Heavy equipment operators should wear a seatbelt while in the vehicle.Cooperative Agreemen