California Department of Health Services
This
document is a summary of a larger
document in english.
SUMMARY : CASE
192-383-01
Workers
were harvesting almonds. The trailers they used to haul the
almonds were leased. Moving these trailers was to be done
only by the company owning the trailers, or the farmer could
use a forklift. In order to save time, the farmer told his
son and a farm worker to move the trailer without using a
forklift.
The
son and farm worker crawled under the trailer to unlock the
brakes. They loosened the ring clamp from the outside housing
of the brakes. This released a loaded spring, which sent the
top of the outside housing flying into the farm worker's forehead.
Neither
the farmer nor co-workers were trained in first aid. The farmer
put the injured farm worker in his pickup truck, called 911,
and drove him to a nearby road. An ambulance took him to a
trauma center, where he was admitted with a broken skull.
How
could this injury have been prevented?
- Employers
should not ask workers to do tasks which they have not been
trained to do.
- Equipment
should be designed so that workers will not be exposed to
hazards.
- Employers
should have written safety programs. These programs can
help workers and employers identify hazards.
- At
the work site, at least one person should be trained in
first aid.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document,
CDHS(COHP)-FI-93-005-24
,
was extracted from a series of the Nurses Using Rural Sentinal
Events (NURSE) project, conducted by the California Occupational
Health Program of the California Department of Health Services,
in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health. Publication date: January 1993.
The
NURSE (Nurses Using Rural Sentinel Events) project is conducted
by the California Occupational Health Program of the California
Department of Health Services, in conjunction with the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The program's
goal is to prevent occupational injuries associated with agriculture.
Injuries are reported by hospitals, emergency medical services,
clinics, medical examiners, and coroners. Selected cases are
followed up by conducting interviews of injured workers, co-workers,
employers, and others involved in the incident. An on-site
safety investigation is also conducted. These investigations
provide detailed information on the worker, the work environment,
and the potential risk factors resulting in the injury. Each
investigation concludes with specific recommendations designed
to prevent injuries, for the use of employers, workers, and
others concerned about health and safety in agriculture.
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