UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

On May 5, 2004, a groundskeeper employed at the Bulle Rock Golf Course, operated a Steiner 430 Max 4-wheel tractor to mow the golf course. On the front of the tractor was a blower attachment to blow the grass clippings from the cart paths and the edges of the fairway. When the groundskeeper arrived at the twelfth hole, he drove by a sand trap and could feel the tractor start to slide downhill. When he could no longer control the tractor, and thought it was going to tip over, he jumped from it and landed in the sand trap. At that point, the tractor rolled over, landing on his ankle and leg, pinning him. The groundskeeper was taken to Harford Memorial Hospital where he was treated for an ankle contusion. An investigation determined that the slope of the trap was between 20 and 24 degrees. The tractor's instruction manual stated that all slopes require extra caution, to drive slowly, and to use caution when making turns and changing directions on slopes. Under normal conditions, which were present on the day of the accident, the recommendations in the instruction manual pertained to a 25-degree slope when working across the slope.