01:36 pm, Saturday 20 March, 2010

A grape picker has been crushed by a tractor near Geelong on Thursday.

The Melbourne man was working at a Sutherlands Creek vineyard when a fruit-picking tractor rolled over him.

The casual grape picker, believed to be in his 30s, suffered a punctured lung, two broken ribs, leg and abdominal injuries. He was transported to The Alfred hospital where he was declared in a stable condition.

The owner of the winery confirmed the tragic incident involving the Melbourne man, who was one of several casual workers at the vineyard.

“The tractor rolled forward and rolled onto one of our workers. We called an ambulance and they (paramedics) preferred not to move him … they weren’t sure of the nature of his injuries and they chose to airlift him to Melbourne,” he said.

“It was one of those things that happens, and it’s good that the chap’s OK but it might take him a week or two to get over his injuries.”

The owner said the man’s workmates were shaken by the incident and were sent home.

“They seemed to be OK. We decided we wouldn’t pick anymore (grapes) once it happened, so they went home.”

A WorkSafe spokesperson said a team of inspectors is investigating the incident to determine if any breach in safety procedures were committed.

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09:05 am, Tuesday 2 March, 2010

WorkSafe is inquiring into the death of a man whose tractor he was driving tipped over on Sunday.

The man, who is in his 20s, was moving beehives at Bruarong, south of Yackandandah.

The director of WorkSafe’s Manufacturing, Logistics and Agriculture division, Ross Pilkington, said the incident serves as a cautionary tale to tractor operators and their employers.

“Tractors are the single greatest contributor to workplace deaths in regional Victoria accounting for five lives in 2009.

“With two deaths already in 2010, it is essential that tractor safety is a high priority. They are large and powerful and when something goes wrong, exceptionally dangerous.”

An area of concern for people in regional areas is that they usually work on their own or in isolated sites, where it is difficult to alert someone if an accident occurs.

“All together, this creates a highly-dangerous working environment which requires high leveltractor of care by employers and workers.

“WorkSafe’s call is for people, whether or not you’ve used tractors for decades or done a job a thousand times, to review the way you use them, ensure they have rollover protection are properly maintained and, where possible, seatbelts are fitted and used.”

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