Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1446774.015 - Petree Farms

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At 3:08 p.m. on November 18, 2019, an employee who worked as a laborer for a grower was working as an irrigator in a field. The employer has employees lay and maintain irrigation pipe as part of their duties. The employee is a seasonal employee who was working under the supervision of Coworker #1, the regular foreman for the irrigation crew. The employee and his coworkers were picking up sprinklers in a nearby field. All of the roads are dirt roads in between the agricultural fields. Coworker #2 was operating a John Deere model 5045E agricultural tractor. Coworker #2 had allowed the employee and Coworker #3 to hitch a ride by standing on the steps on either side of the operator's position on the tractor. The employee was on the right side of Coworker #2 and Coworker #3 was on the left side. Coworker #2 drove the tractor south on a road which has a canal on the west side and a field on the east side. As he turned left on a different road with fields on either side, he turned sharply right to make a U-turn in order to have the tractor in position to attach a trailer facing west. As he made the turn the tires went over a rough portion of the road causing the employee to fall off the steps and onto the ground where he was run over by the right rear tire. Coworker #1 stated that he had seen employees riding on tractors in this manner before and had told them to stop but did not write up any disciplinary action. Coworker #4 (supervisor) was not present in the field at the time. Coworker #2 stated that it was a common practice to have riders on the tractor and everyone does it but acknowledged that it was against the company rules. He said since Coworker #1 knew about it and didn't do anything he thought it was okay. There were no records that employees had been trained on tractor safety. The employee sustained a crushing injury to his torso resulting in a fractured right clavicle, rib fractures, and internal injuries and was hospitalized for two days.

Keywords: Agriculture, Agriculture Machinery/Vehicle, Chest, Crushed, Fracture, Inexperience, Insufficient Supervision, Irrigation Equipment, Irrigation Pipe, Laborer, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Motor Vehicle, Rib, Riding on Equipment, Road, Run Over, Struck By, Torso, Tractor, Wheel, Work Surface