When the gradient of the slope exceeded that specified in the industry guidance
What happened?
A man in his 50s had been cutting grass at a golf club, using an industrial mower. He had come off and it had landed on him. The man subsequently died, pronounced dead at the scene.
Reports suggest that he was cutting a sloped area when the mower overturned, trapping him beneath it. This was reportedly the second such accident to occur in the area recently. The first resulted in serious injuries to a leg, side and back when a ride-on mower slipped down an embankment, went over a wall and toppled into a road, crushing the operator.
Legal Outcome
The accident was investigated by the local council. It is not known if there was any action taken or there were any legal proceedings.
What can we learn from what happened?
These are not the only fatalities in this case study library relating to lawnmowers overturning. Quite apart from the hazard presented by the blades and the machinery, they are always heavy, and can always have the potential to cause serious harm if crushed.
There is industry guidance on maximum inclination of slopes for ride on machinery, and all activities should be risk assessed accordingly taking into account the areas where the mower is due to be operated.
Source of Information
QLM Newsletter
The Independent