Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305585796 - Prospect Bay Country Club

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:37 p.m. on September 27, 2002, Employee #1, a grounds crew worker at a golf course and country club, had returned from his lunch break and was resuming his assigned task of aerating the ground to prepare it for seeding. Employee #1 was using a John Deere tractor, Model Number 1050, with a tow-behind aerator. A malfunction in the starting system meant that the tractor had to be started by shorting across the starter terminals. To do this, Employee #1 had to stand on the left side of the tractor and use two screwdrivers to contact the terminals. According to the operator's manual, this would bypass the machine's normal circuitry. When Employee #1 shorted across the starter terminals, the tractor started and then began to move. Employee #1 ran around to the right side of the vehicle to try to jump on and gain control of it. As Employee #1 did this, his left foot slipped off the tractor and the tire caught his pant leg and shoe, pulling him to the ground. The right rear tire of the tractor and the aerator then ran over Employee #1's left knee, up over his rib cage, and across his right shoulder. Employee #1 sustained torn ligaments in his left knee and multiple contusions and abrasions. Employee #1 was flown by helicopter to the shock trauma unit, where he was treated and released later that night. Employee #1 had left the tractor in fifth gear (the highest gear) when he went to lunch and had not set the parking brake. The accident was the result of defective equipment being used and a lack of training on the equipment.

Keywords: VEHICLE IN GEAR, JUMP START, WORK RULES, STARTED IN GEAR, FALL, RUN OVER, UNTRAINED, MECH MALFUNCTION, CONTUSION, LEG