Farmer Slips Off Tractor Step
And Is Run Over By Truck

In the fall of 1998 a 42-year-old farmer was killed while he was loading corn into a grain semi truck. The victim was operating one tractor with an attached auger wagon, and was unloading corn from the wagon into the semi from the right side. Another farmer, also operating a tractor and auger wagon, was helping and unloading from the left side, while the truck driver was watching the level in his truck. When the front hopper was full, the truck driver began to drive forward. As he was doing this, the farmer climbed up the steps of his tractor, apparently to shut down the PTO power to the wagon. Suddenly the truck driver heard a yell, and looking in his right bubble mirror, he saw a pair of legs and immediately backed up his truck. The victim had slipped off the top step of his tractor and fallen backwards, landing immediately in front of the duel tires of the semi tractor as it was moving forward. The man was partially crushed in the right chest and abdomen, receiving significant injuries which lead to his death a few hours later. It had been raining that day and the ground was very muddy. He was initially conscious and talking after the accident, recalling how he slipped off the top step of the tractor. Auxiliary after-market steps had been added to this tractor to improve access, yet the top step, which was actually the cover for the battery case, was not aligned with other steps, nor with the entrance to the cab. The farmer had borrowed this tractor from a neighbor, and was unfamiliar with the steps.

#1 Tractor manufacturers should give more attention to the safe design of steps and handrails to further increase operator safety.

• Access problems are greater with older tractors i.e. poor steps, too narrow doors, inadequate handrails, obstacles or control levers in the way, and other hazards.
• Newer tractors have improved access, yet it remains a source of injuries, and attention should be paid to better access design.
• It is commendable that after-market steps and handrails have been developed for tractors.

#2 Machinery operators should always maintain "three point contact" when mounting or dismounting equipment.

• There should be handrails or grips on both sides of the access, including the tractor door if the machine has a cab.
• When moving the hands from one grip point to another, both feet should be securely on the steps. The operator should have a good grip with both hands.

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Wayne Johnson, M.D.	Risto Rautiainen, M.Sc.Agr.
Chief Trauma Investigator (FACE)	Coordinator
Institute for Rural & Environmental Health	Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health
University of Iowa -- Iowa City, Iowa	Institute for Rural & Environmental Health
	University of Iowa -- Iowa City, Iowa