A 25-year-old male snowmobile mechanic (the victim) for a snowmobile sales and service company died when he was ejected from the operator's seat and struck a tree. The victim was testing the machine by operating it on a public snowmobile trail, when he apparently hit a snowbank and flew off the seat. He skidded along the trail for almost 100 feet until he hit a tree along the trail's edge. A snowmobiler found the victim next to the tree, and summoned emergency services. The EMS and police responded. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The FACE investigator concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers that use snowmobiles in their business should: (1) Consult with snowmobile manufacturers to determine safe and effective in-shop methods to test snowmobile operations. (2) Develop, implement and enforce a policy for snowmobile operators to run at least one test lap on a trail at a low speed before testing the machine at a higher speed. (3) Develop, implement and enforce a policy to observe speed limits for operating snowmobiles during test drives. (4) Evaluate trails for hazards and eliminate the hazards before running a vehicle on the trail.


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    Title :

    Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) for Wisconsin: Mechanic Dies When He is Ejected from Snowbobile Operator's Seat and Strikes a Tree


    Publication date :

    2002


    Size :

    4 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English