Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Minnesota: Tire Repair Business Owner Dies After His Head Became Pinned Between the Protective Cage and the Bucket/Lift Arm of a Skid-Steer Loader.

摘要

A 51-year-old tire repair business owner (victim) was killed when his head became pinned between the protective cage and the bucket/lift arm of the skid-steer loader he was operating. At the time of the incident, the victim was working alone removing snow and ice from the parking lot of the tire business. The victim's son found the victim and notified emergency response personnel. Officers from the local police department found the victim in a prone position inside the vehicle with his body resting on the loader's controls and his head caught between the right-side lift arm and the vehicle chassis. Fire department personnel cut the hydraulic lines to the lift arm and extricated the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later. Police investigators at the incident scene found the vehicle to be equipped with a seat belt but noted that it was in 'an unused condition.' MN FACE investigators concluded that to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident, the following activities should be performed: (1) Use seat belts whenever operating a skid-steer loader; and (2) retrofit existing skid-steer loaders with interlock mechanisms which disable or disengage the loader or certain loader functions if the loader is not properly operated.