Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) for Wisconsin: Farm Worker Dies When He Falls from Tractor Seat

摘要

A 59 year-old farm worker (the victim) fell from the farm tractor he was operating and died from injuries he received in the fall. He was towing a manure spreader to a field on the dairy farm where he was employed, and may have had a medical emergency that caused him to stop the tractor prior to his fall. The tractor, which was not equipped with a cab or rollover protection structure (ROPS), was left running in neutral. The farm owner went to the field to investigate when the victim did not return to the farmyard as expected. He found the victim lying in blood under the drawbar of the manure spreader and immediately called for emergency services. EMS responders and the sheriff arrived within seven minutes and pulled the victim from beneath the manure spreader. The coroner was called, and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The FACE investigator concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences, farmers should: (1) Only use tractors that are fully equipped with an operator restraint system and rollover protective structures (ROPS). (2) Seek and follow medical advice and take precautions to prevent falls if they have medical conditions that could cause loss of balance.