Vigo County Parks Implement New Safety Measures For Workers

December 7, 2011

Following a fatal mowing accident earlier this year, the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department in Indiana has implemented measures to improve safety for workers, as mandated by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA). According to The Tribune-Star, mowers are no longer allowed on lawns with a more than 30-degree slope, and only full-time employees have access to the keys for mowing equipment.

The changes come after an employee drowned in August when he was trapped beneath a mower that had flipped into the pond. In a report by IOSHA, they determined that an attachment had been improperly hitched to a towing tractor. The report stated, “The operator of the tractor lifted the attachment, which caused both the mower and the tractor to roll over. The mower operator was trapped beneath the mower in approximately four feet of water.”

In response to the order, the department responded by placing white concrete markers around ponds and other steep slopes in the county’s parks that mowers are not allowed to pass. Lock boxes containing keys to the mowing equipment will now only be accessible by full-time employees who undergo a greater safety-training program.

The Indiana Workers’ Compensation Attorneys with Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin understand that all employers have a responsibility to provide a safe working environment. If they fail to do so, our experienced attorneys are here to help. Contact us today if you have been hurt on-the-job at no fault of your own.