Alert of the Month
The following rollover incidents were reported to WorkSafeBC in December or 2017:
An operator was using a log loader to move a log when the outside of the road failed, causing the machine to roll down a steep bank. The operator was ejected part‐way down and the machine came to rest in a gully 200 feet from the road. The operator suffered multiple injuries
A log loader was forwarding wood to a roadside. The operator tried to pull a stump out of the ground with the grapple. The grapple slipped off the stump, causing the log loader to roll over. The operator was wearing a seat belt and was not injured.
A worker was repositioning a non‐tethered feller‐buncher machine on a 52 percent slope. The machine slid 15 feet and flipped onto its side. A stump breached the guarding and struck the worker. The worker was taken to hospital by the on‐site emergency transport vehicle (ETV). The operator suffered fractured ribs and soft tissue injuries.
A worker operating an excavator was placing rip rap (large rocks) on the bottom side of a resource road. The excavator became unstable and slid about 150 feet down the hill, rolling over twice. It came to rest upside down beside a creek. The operator, who was wearing a seat belt, climbed to the road and was transported to hospital. The worker received a lacerated head from the rollover.
Review the following information to help reduce the occurrence and severity of these types of rollover incidents:
- Two of the above incidents would have been much worse, but the operators were wearing seatbelts which kept them safely in the cab.
- Proper planning is essential for steep ground operations. Complete a risk assessment of the area and develop site specific procedures to keep equipment stable and safe.
- Exposed rock has been reported as a leading cause of rollovers. When walking the site, keep watch for exposed rock and shallow soils that can cause a loss of traction.
- Rollovers near water can be particularly hazardous. Ditch water or streams can be deep enough to create drowning hazards.
- Watch out for signs of soil instability and potential landslides: saturated soils over bedrock, old slumps and jack‐strawed trees.
Resources:
- Seatbelt Safety Video from Caterpillar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdMTxG5yDE0
- Operator Dies When Shovel Rolls Downhill
http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/research/face/files/shoveloperatordieswhenshovelrollsdownhill.pdf
- Steep Slope Logging Resource Package
https://www.bcforestsafe.org/steep_slope.html
- Road Construction Initiated Slides Operator Training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYbnMZlcqmU
