labor lawAdivision of labor law center

An ATV driver lost her life when the vehicle she was operating on the job flipped over on her. Her employer had fitted it with an herbicide sprayer that was 55 pounds over the manufacturer’s recommended limit, according to OSHA.

A Georgia Worker Safety Alert has followed. Without training and safety precautions, deaths and injuries will increase. OSHA says the All-Terrain Vehicle, usually associated with recreation, is a growing part of the workplace. They’re found, for example, in farming, forestry, police work, and construction to get around quickly and easily on all kinds of ground.

In the fatality investigated by OSHA, the driver was applying herbicide to weeds when the accident occurred. The employer had had fitted the sprayer on the rear cargo rack, casing the vehicle to become more unstable. Driving on a steep incline over rough terrain contributed to the accident as well, according to OSHA.

The operator was driving uphill when the ATVs front wheels left the ground. The vehicle began to flip over, and she tried to stabilize it by standing up. When that failed, she tried unsuccessfully to jump out of the way, but was crushed. The heavy herbicide sprayer had redistributed the weight over the wheelbase.

OSHA has released a bulletin with guidelines for operation. The most important recommendation is training employees in the use of the ATV. While it has a reputation as a recreational vehicle sometimes operated by children, it is nevertheless tricky to maneuver — not at all similar in its operation to a car or truck. Employees should use helmets while operating All-Terrain Vehicles. OSHA also recommends following manufacturers’ weight guidelines.

With increasing use on the job, fatalities have increased. In the past 10 years, more than 100 workers have died in job-related ATV accidents.

ATV accidents are up generally. In recreational use, there was an increase from 29 to 470 in the 24-year period from 1982 to 2004. Injuries hit 136,100. There have been 800,000 accidents in the past ten years. 

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