Operator of skid-steer loader killed when thrown out of seat.
NIOSH 2002 Feb; :1-4
A 60-year-old operator of a skid-steer loader was killed while moving dirt at his rural acreage. The man was moving and smoothing soil, preparing to make a foundation for a new barn. The area was level and the soil was dry. To increase the hauling capacity of the front-end bucket, the man had attached four 45-kilogram (100 lb.) tractor counter weights to the rear of the skid loader with a chain. It appears that while backing up with a raised bucket full of dirt, the chain and counter weights suddenly fell off, and the machine bucked forward while going over the weights on the ground. The man and the seat of the skid-steer loader were thrown forward out of the loader, and the raised bucket came down and crushed the man against the front frame of the machine. The man was found dead about four hours later. The seat, which was found under the victim, was not securely attached, but only held in place by vertical metal pins. The seat belt had been removed from the machine. Recommendations based on our investigation are as follows: 1. Owners/operators of skid-steer loaders should not use temporary counter weights. 2. Owners/operators of skid-steer loaders should not overload the machine by using over-sized buckets. 3. Owners/operators of skid-steer loaders should maintain the seat and seatbelt in good condition, and use operator restraint systems while operating the machine.
Region-7; Accident-analysis; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Work-operations; Work-analysis; Work-areas; Work-performance; Work-practices; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-measures; Safety-monitoring; Protective-measures; Construction; Personal-protective-equipment; Protective-equipment; Safety-belts; Equipment-design; Equipment-operators; Equipment-reliability; Agricultural-industry; Agricultural-workers; Agriculture
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
NTIS Accession No.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Iowa Department of Public Health