Incident Investigation: Out-of-Control Riding Mowers Injure Workers | WorkSafeBC
Summary
TLDRThe video script highlights the dangers of operating riding mowers on wet, steep slopes without proper safety measures. It recounts three accidents at a golf course, emphasizing the need for a safety program, regular meetings, and risk assessments. The importance of training, supervision, and using mowers with rollover protection is stressed to prevent such incidents, as wet grass and slick tires can lead to severe injuries or fatalities.
Takeaways
- ⚠️ Riding mowers can be dangerous on slopes and without rollover protection systems, leading to serious injuries or fatalities.
- 🌧️ Heavy rain can make grass slick, increasing the risk of mowers sliding and causing accidents.
- 🛴 A young worker suffered a skull fracture after a mower slid on wet grass and fell into a sand bunker, highlighting the importance of tire grip.
- 📉 The same hillside has seen multiple accidents, indicating a recurring hazard that has not been adequately addressed.
- 🚜 Mowers with heavy rollers and treadless tires are particularly prone to sliding on wet surfaces, which is a significant safety concern.
- 👷 Workers have been seriously injured in similar incidents, emphasizing the need for better safety measures.
- 🚫 Experienced operators avoid the dangerous location after heavy rains, suggesting that knowledge sharing is crucial for safety.
- 🔒 The lack of a safety system and communication protocols at the workplace puts workers at unnecessary risk.
- 🛠️ Implementing a safety program, regular safety meetings, and accident investigations can help prevent such accidents.
- 📏 Conducting a rollover risk assessment on golf courses can determine the best equipment and operating procedures for different terrains.
- 🚫 Avoid operating mowers on steep slopes or near drop-offs to minimize the risk of rollovers.
- 👨🏫 Training and supervising workers on safe operation procedures and reviewing the operator's manual is essential for safety.
- 💺 Using mowers with rollover protective structures and seat belts can save lives by providing an extra layer of safety.
Q & A
What are the major causes of injuries and fatalities when using riding mowers mentioned in the script?
-The major causes are slopes and the lack of rollover protection systems.
How many accidents occurred at the golf course hillside as described in the script?
-Three accidents occurred at the location.
What type of tires were on the mower involved in the most recent incident?
-The mower had smooth, treadless tires to minimize damage to the greens.
What weather condition contributed to the accidents on the golf course?
-Heavy rainfall the night before made the grass slick, causing loss of traction.
What was the outcome of the most recent accident involving a young worker?
-The worker was thrown from the mower, which then struck him, fracturing his skull.
What happened in the second accident at the location?
-A worker lost traction and the mower rolled onto its side, seriously injuring the worker.
What action did the worker take in the third accident to avoid a worse outcome?
-The worker managed to steer away from the drop-off and jumped from the mower before it crashed.
Why did other experienced mower operators consider the location dangerous after heavy rains?
-They recognized the risk of accidents due to the slick grass and slopes and chose different routes.
What steps are suggested in the script to prevent such accidents from happening?
-Implement a safety program, hold regular safety meetings, investigate accidents, conduct a rollover risk assessment, avoid mowing on steep slopes, train workers, and consider using mowers with rollover protection and seat belts.
What specific safety features for mowers are recommended in the script?
-Mowers equipped with rollover protective structures and seat belts are recommended.
What is the final reminder given in the script regarding the operation of mowers?
-The reminder is to drive safely and remember that wet grass, steep slopes, and smooth tires don’t mix.
Outlines
🚜 Tragic Mower Accidents on Golf Courses
This paragraph discusses the severe consequences of operating riding mowers on slopes without adequate safety measures. It recounts three accidents on a golf course, where wet grass and slick conditions led to mowers sliding uncontrollably and causing severe injuries to workers. The first incident involved a young worker whose mower plunged into a sand bunker, resulting in a skull fracture. The second and third accidents also resulted in serious injuries due to loss of traction on wet slopes. The paragraph emphasizes the lack of a safety program, meetings, or processes to share information about the dangerous conditions, and the absence of rollover protection systems in the workplace.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Slopes
💡Rollover protection systems
💡Traction
💡Safety program
💡Wet grass
💡Sand bunker
💡Corrective actions
💡Operator’s manual
💡Rollover risk assessment
💡Smooth tires
Highlights
Slopes and lack of rollover protection systems are major causes of injuries and fatalities with riding mowers.
Three accidents occurred on a seemingly safe hillside on a golf course.
A young worker suffered a skull fracture after a mower slid on wet grass and fell into a sand bunker.
Smooth, treadless tires were used to minimize damage to the greens but increased the risk of accidents.
Previous accidents involved workers losing traction on wet grass and falling off the hillside.
One worker managed to jump off the mower before it crashed into a stump after losing traction.
Experienced mower operators considered the location dangerous after heavy rains and chose different routes.
There were no safety meetings or processes to share information about the dangerous location.
Implementing a safety program to identify and address hazards is crucial.
Regular safety meetings should be held to discuss and share information.
Investigating accidents and developing corrective actions can prevent similar incidents.
Conducting a hole-by-hole rollover risk assessment on golf courses is recommended.
Steep slopes and drop-offs should be avoided when operating mowers.
Workers should be trained and supervised in safe mower operation and review the operator's manual.
Using mowers with rollover protective structures and seat belts can save lives.
The workers in the mentioned accidents survived, but others have not been as fortunate.
Wet grass, steep slopes, and smooth tires are a dangerous combination for mower operators.
Transcripts
Slopes and the lack of rollover protection systems are major causes of injuries and fatalities
with riding mowers. This seemingly safe hillside on a golf course was the scene of not one
but three accidents. This is what happened.
In the most recent incident, a young worker was operating a mower equipped with heavy
rollers to compact the greens. To minimize damage to the greens, the mower was equipped
with smooth, treadless tires.
It had rained heavily the night before, making the grass slick. Travelling along the hillside
from one green to another, the mower slid uncontrollably on the wet grass, then plunged
down a 4-foot drop into a sand bunker, throwing the worker. The mower then struck him, fracturing
his skull.
This wasn’t the first accident at this location. Two others had occurred in previous years:
Another worker had lost traction on the wet hillside and rode a mower over the drop-off
into the sand bunker. The mower rolled onto its side, seriously injuring the worker.
After a heavy rainfall yet another worker lost traction. The worker managed to steer
away from the drop-off and jump from the mower, which then crashed into a stump.
Other experienced mower operators considered the location dangerous after heavy rains so
chose different routes. However, with no safety system at this workplace there weren’t any
safety meetings, or other processes to share this information.
There are key steps to preventing accidents like these.
Implement a safety program to identify and address hazards, and hold regular safety meetings
to discuss and share information.
Investigate accidents and close calls, and develop corrective actions to prevent similar
incidents.
On golf courses, conduct a hole-by-hole rollover risk assessment, measuring slopes and drop
heights to determine what equipment is best for the terrain and how that equipment should
be operated.
Don’t operate mowers on steep slopes or near drop-offs.
Train and supervise workers in safe mower operation and have them review the operator’s
manual.
Consider using mowers equipped with rollover protective structures and seat belts. These
save lives.
These workers all survived. Others have not been so lucky. Drive safely and remember that
wet grass, steep slopes, and smooth tires don’t mix.
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