A 30-year-old male farmer (victim) died of injuries sustained when the tractor he was driving rolled over on him. He was driving a farm tractor pulling a wagon loaded with approximately 200 bushels of shelled corn. The tractor was not equipped with a rollover protective structure or a general purpose cab. The shelled corn was being hauled into a pasture to be placed in a cattle feedbunk. The victim's father drove a pick-up to the pasture and opened a pasture gate shortly before his son arrived with the tractor and wagon. The gate was located near the top of a steep hill that sloped down into the pasture. The victim slowly drove the tractor up to the open pasture gate. He slowed the tractor at the gate to nearly a complete stop and shifted the transmission into neutral. With the transmission in neutral, the force of the wagon and corn pushed the tractor down the hill. The victim used the brakes to control the speed of the tractor and wagon down the hill. Near the bottom of the hill, he turned the tractor to the right to begin a turn around the feedbunk. As the tractor turned, it slid to the side and overturned 180 degrees to the left and came to rest upside down. The victim was thrown from the tractor and pinned beneath the right fender and the right rear wheel. Emergency medical personnel were called and arrived at the scene approximately 10 minutes after the incident occurred. CPR was immediately administered by the victim's father and was continued by medical personnel while the victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. MN FACE investigators concluded that to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: (1) all tractors should be equipped with a rollover protective structure and a seat belt; (2) tractor operators should be trained to recognize and understand the hazards associated with towing items that exceed the weight of the tractor; and (3) operators should lock both brake pedals together when driving in slippery conditions.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Minnesota: Farmer Dies After Tractor He was Driving Rolled Over on Him (FACE-95-MN-028-01)
1995
5 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Environmental & Occupational Factors , Industrial Safety Engineering , Job Environment , Occupational safety and health , Accident investigations , Fatalities , Farmers , Injuries , Rollover accident , Tractors , Equipment operators , Agricultural industry , Work operations , Safety equipment , Personal protective equipment , Accident prevention , Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation(FACE)