Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1439641.015 - E. E. Hall, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Bakersfield District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on October 1, 2019, an employee, a tractor operator, was operating a Kubota tractor pulling a trailer with bins under a raisin harvesting machine that loaded the bins with raisins. As the employee approached the harvester, he reached behind the operator seat to unpin and lower a safety bar that extended over him from the rear to the front of the tractor. The bar was used to prevent the employee from being injured from loose wires in the path of tractor however, it needed to be lowered to enter under the harvester. When the employee finished lowering the safety bar and approached the harvester, he noticed too late that the harvester had not been raised. When lowered the harvester only had 4-feet, 8-inches of clearance but when raised it allowed an extra 1-foot of clearance. The top of the tractor steering wheel hit the metal frame of the harvester and broke. The employee's chest was crushed between the frame and the operator's seat and then was struck in the face as the tractor continued all the way under the harvester. The tractor finally stopped when it crashed into a vineyard on the opposite side of the harvester. The employee was hospitalized to treat a fracture to his right clavicle, sternum, cheekbone and jaw. The employee also suffered a pulmonary contusion and a laceration to his chin.

Keywords: Agriculture, Agriculture Machinery/Vehicle, Clavicle, Collarbone, Collision, Crushed, Crushing, Driving, Face, Fracture, Harvester, Harvesting, Jaw, Laceration, Raised, Tractor