CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.
As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
i
Ranch Hand Dies After Being Kicked By a Horse—Massachusetts
-
2019/02/24
[PDF-1005.88 KB]
Details:
-
Corporate Authors:
-
Description:On October 10, 2017, a 54-year-old ranch hand died while inside a paddock with two horses. At the time of the incident, the ranch hand was inside the paddock throwing hay. The incident was unwitnessed, but it appears that the ranch hand was kicked in the head by one of the horses while inside the paddock. One of the stable owners found the victim laying on his back unconscious inside the paddock and called the other owner. A call was then placed for emergency medical services (EMS) and the victim was transported to a local hospital. Contributing Factors: Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injury or fatality. The Massachusetts FACE Program identified the following contributing factors in this incident: 1. Having to enter the paddock with a horse present to throw hay; 2. Unstable footing due to muddy ground; 3. No comprehensive safety and health program; and 4. Working alone. Recommendations: Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers and stable owners should: 1. Ensure the task of throwing hay can be completed without having to be inside the paddock with the horses present. 2. Ensure dry and stable footing in the areas where workers will be on foot. 3. Develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health program that includes training and addresses hazard recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. 4. Consider developing policies that prevent working alone when performing certain tasks. In addition, employers should ensure they are not misclassifying workers as independent contractors by complying with the Massachusetts Independent Contractor Law.
-
Subjects:
-
Keywords:
-
FACE - NIOSH and State:
-
Series:
-
Subseries:
-
DOI:
-
Publisher:
-
Document Type:
-
Funding:
-
Genre:
-
Place as Subject:
-
CIO:
-
Topic:
-
Location:
-
Pages in Document:1-8
-
NIOSHTIC Number:20059089
-
NTIS Accession Number:PB2022-100307
-
Citation:Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 17MA051, 2019 Feb; :1-8
-
Federal Fiscal Year:2019
-
Performing Organization:Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
-
Peer Reviewed:False
-
NAICS and SIC Codes:
-
Start Date:2005/07/01
-
End Date:2026/06/30
-
Resource Number:FACE-17MA051
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
