Machinery - Other case studies

A farmer was found trapped between the collector reel and intake auger of a self-propelled combine harvester. He was found by a casual worker who was helping with the harvest. The machine was still running. No one saw what happened. It is believed that he slipped, tripped or fell into the moving collector reel and auger, either from a position on the ground or from the driving seat above.


A farmer was found trapped inside a baler. He had been contracted to bale cut grass into round bale silage. It is likely the farmer got out of the tractor, leaving the engine and therefore the baler running, in order to clear away the build up of grass from the front end of the baler. It is believed he was clearing the grass with his foot when the pick-up caught his trouser leg and dragged him into the machine up to his chest.


A farm worker was found trapped inside the mixing chambers of a feed mixer trailer. A tractor and trailer were being used to mix a batch of animal feed. After feed materials were put into the mixer, unusual noises were heard coming from the mixer chamber. The farm labourer investigated the noise and ended up inside the mixer chamber. He was fatally injured by the moving mixer blades.


A farm worker died when he came into contact with a winch. He was unloading crabs from a vessel using the winch when his hand became trapped in a loop of rope on the barrel winch.


A farm worker was entangled on an unguarded PTO shaft that connected a tractor to a slurry tanker. His arms were severed and he was found lying next to the PTO shaft.

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Updated: 2019-04-18