A 16-year-old landscaper was killed when the front end loader he was operating overturned pinning him underneath. The victim and his supervisor had just completed trimming and removing some trees from a residential property. They were returning equipment back to their storage yard. The supervisor, driving a dump truck, left a few minutes before the victim. The victim was supposed to follow the supervisor with the front end loader, but for unknown reasons, went in the opposite direction. Several blocks from the job site he started down an inclined roadway, veered slightly to the right side striking a concrete curb, which caused the loader to turn sharply to the left. The victim attempted to correct the loader by turning the steering wheel, but the loader did a three-quarter roll. The victim was pinned under the driver's side front drive wheel. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no rollover protective structure (ROPS) on the loader. The Nebraska Workforce Development, Department of Labor's Investigator concluded that to prevent future similar occurrences: (1) Employers should ensure all safety devices, such as ROPS and seat belts are installed and maintained on all applicable equipment. (2) Employers should ensure that all equipment has an established maintenance program as recommended by the manufacturer. (3) Employers should ensure that all employees are provided written, verbal and hands-on training for each piece of equipment they will work with prior to operating such. (4) Employers and/or supervisors should ensure that task specific verbal and/or written guidance is provided to all employees to ensure they are knowledgeable of their task responsibilities. (5) Employers should understand and follow all applicable federal and state laws pertaining to child labor requirements.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Nebraska: Youth Landscaper Pinned Underneath Front End Loader
2002
13 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Environmental & Occupational Factors , Job Environment , Industrial Safety Engineering , Agricultural Equipment, Facilities, & Operations , Construction Equipment, Materials, & Supplies , Construction Materials, Components, & Equipment , Fatalities , Accident investigations , Traumatic injuries , Rollover accidents , Front end loaders , Tires , Wheels , Landscaping , Agricultural machinery , Safety engineering , Crushing injuries , Nebraska FACE Investigation 01NE026