Farmer Crushed and Killed by Rotating Rock Picker
A 75 year-old farmer was killed while removing a large rock stuck in a rock picker attached to a tractor. Once the rock was dislodged, residual power in the hydraulic lines caused the machine's rotating parts to move, crushing the farmer.
Safety Issues
Agriculture makes up only 2 per cent of Victoria's workforce, but 14 per cent of workplace deaths. About 75 per cent of these deaths involve farm machinery.
Tractors and their attachments are some of the most dangerous pieces of machinery on farms.
Tractors supply power to attachments via the PTO and hydraulic systems, causing mechanisms to rotate and move. If safety precautions aren’t followed, these movements can lead to a risk of:
entanglement
crushing
amputation
Recommended Ways to Control Risks
It's crucial to eliminate or minimise the risk of crushing, entanglement and amputation from tractor attachments.
Normally the operator is protected from these risks when they are seated in the tractor seat.
The potential danger arises when the operator gets off the tractor while:
the PTO is engaged
the engine is still on
Or the operator attempts to troubleshoot while:
hydraulic systems are under pressure
residual power in the hydraulic lines are not drained prior to troubleshooting
To control the risks, the operator should disengage the PTO, isolate hydraulic systems, drain any residual power in the hydraulic lines and shut off the tractor engine before leaving the seat.
Other Ways to Control the Risk May Include
Fitting the tractor with an operator presence switch in the tractor seat.
Fitting the tractor with an interlock system that shuts down the tractor engine when the operator leaves the seat while the PTO is engaged.
Tractor maintenance and repair
As the tractor provides the power to the attachment, it's important that the safety systems and controls function correctly.
Inspections and scheduled maintenance should be conducted by a competent person:
as often as the operator's manual states
before seasonal use
Routine maintenance should include:
ensuring that interlock systems function correctly and are not bypassed
adjusting of the brakes and brake controls to ensure they are effective for all terrain and strong enough to restrain movement of the tractor
maintenance of the shuttle shift gear selector to prevent accidental selection
Maintenance should happen more often as the tractor and attachments age.
Attachment maintenance and repair
Inspection and scheduled maintenance of attachments should be done in line with the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure they operate correctly.
Trying to fix attachments or troubleshoot in the field increases the risk of serious or fatal incidents.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria
