Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. Please be aware that the information shown may change, e.g. violations may be added or deleted. For open cases, in which a citation has been issued, the citation information may not be available for 5 days following receipt by the employer for Federal inspections or for 30 days following receipt by the employer for State inspections.

Inspection: 1616479.015 - Grassman Lawn Service Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Milwaukee

Investigation Summary

At 3:00 p.m. on August 19, 2022, an employee was operating an eXmark Lazer Z E-Series zero-turn lawnmower to mow grass. The employee was operating the mower approximately five feet from the edge of a retention pond on an incline of approximately 15 degrees. The roll-over protective structure (ROPS) was in the up position at the time of the incident. The weight of the mower and the conditions of the soil beside the pond resulted in the mower entering the pond, where it sunk into the pond bottom and trapped the employee. Coworkers attempted to remove the employee from the mower but were not successful. Emergency responders arrived, removed the employee from the pond, and transported him to the hospital. The employee remained in the intensive care unit for three days until he was pronounced dead from drowning.

Keywords:drown, drowning, landscaper, landscaping, lawn mower, rops, roll-over, unstable soil, water