Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 200641777 - Employee killed when riding mower rolled over
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
303642235 | 03/13/2001 | 0782 | 0 | All Seasons Nursery |
Abstract: Employee #1 was applying herbicide to the lawn areas of a vocational technical school. He was using a zero turn radius riding lawn mower modified with the addition of a spraying unit. The full spray unit added around 500 pounds to the 690 pound mower, raising the mower's center of gravity. The modification allowed for spraying to be conducted in confined areas from the mower, rather than manually using a hose and truck mounted sprayer. This was the first job that the modification had been used upon. Employee #1 was returning to complete spraying an entrance area. He was driving south on a flat grass area between a fence and a berm. Ahead was standing water. The mower wheel tracks show that the mower traversed the east berm slope to avoid the water. As the mower topped the berm, it rolled over to the right, coming to rest on the west slope. Employee #1 was pinned under the mower. The seat was on his lower back and the sprayer tank across his shoulders. The herbicide was pouring on his head. There was no witness to the actual accident. A passerby saw an arm moving from under the mower and stopped to help. Employee #1 was pinned for some length of time because the mower could not be lifted to pull him out. The rollover of the mower was due in part to the sprayer modification with it raising the mower center of gravity, specifically the herbicide sloshing in the unbaffeled tank produced an off-center load on the mower right side. Additionally, the mower was not equipped with the optional Roll Over Protective Structure and seat belt which would have precluded Employee #1 from being pinned by the mower. Employee #1 died as a result of a heart attack. It could not be determined if the heart attack precipitated the accident or was a result of the accident.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 303642235 | Fatality | Other | Occupation not reported |