A 74-year-old
Iowa farmer fell to his death while working on his combine. The
1969 combine was sitting on a concrete patch in his farmyard adjacent
to a corncrib. He needed to add antifreeze to the radiator, which
is located on the right side of the engine on top of the combine.
To perform this task he had to climb on top of the combine using
the stationary service ladder, then stand on the top steps of
the ladder or the maintenance platform behind the engine area.
The steps were made of smooth metal and were not slip-resistant.
Pouring antifreeze was hazardous, as the worker must stand near the edge of the combine without adequate fall protection. There are no guardrails at this location on this machine. Both hands are needed to hold an antifreeze container and funnel, therefore it was difficult to maintain solid footing and good balance. The farmer apparently slipped and fell while climbing up, pouring, or climbing down after pouring antifreeze into the radiator, and received fatal head injuries when he landed on the concrete patch adjacent to the corncrib. Some antifreeze may have spilled on the steps making them slippery also. There were no obvious protrusions on the combine or the crib wall which could have caused the head injuries, however there were some fist-sized stones and a section of metal pipe on the concrete surface. It was a hot morning and the temperature may have been a contributing factor. He was found by his wife, lying unresponsive in the 2-foot space between the combine and wall of the corncrib.
