Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) for Wisconsin: Farmer Fell Off Wagon Tongue and Was Run Over By Corn-Filled Wagon

摘要

A 40 year old white female farm worker fell and was run over while helping her husband switch corn wagons. Conditions were dry, it was sunny and late afternoon when the incident occurred. The two had met on a county trunk road and attempted to switch wagons on a grade on the side of the roadway (she hooks the loaded corn wagon to her pickup truck and takes it to the drier, he hooks the empty wagon to his tractor and returns to the field to harvest the corn). The wagon full of corn (weight approximately 12,000 pounds) had been blocked and the tractor unhooked. The wagon full of corn which had not yet been hooked to the pick up truck began to roll forward. The female worker jumped onto the wagon tongue apparently in an attempt to stop the wagon. The wagon rolled 54 feet, the tongue hit the shoulder of the road. Apparently this abrupt stop provided sufficient force to cause the victim to fall off. At this point she was run over by the wagon wheel. The Wisconsin FACE investigator concluded that, in order to prevent similar occurrences, employers should: (1) Conduct a job site survey to identify potential hazards. Once identified, remove hazards. When removal is not possible, implement appropriate control measures. (2) Train workers in recognition and control of safety hazards on the farm. (3) Address worker safety in the planning phase of all projects. (4) Through written policy and practice, strictly prohibit jumping on moving machinery.