An accident occurred recently that hits close to home for Idaho residents; and I mean that literally. While most accidents involving heavy equipment seem to occur in construction, that is not always the case. This accident happened on a family farm, where a few simple mistakes cost a life, and left a tragic hole in the lives of his family.
A man named C.J. Frizzell, 36, of Rexburg, was out working on his farm. There was a blockage in the machine he needed to use: a grinding tub feeder used to grind hay to feed cattle. He was out working to remove that blockage, which is where it went wrong. While attempting to remove the blockage, Frizzell became entangled in the feeder’s rotor. The machine was apparently still energized, which ended up being terribly deadly. While working, he was caught in the feeder’s rotor, which ended up causing his death.
The number one problem here is that the machine was still energized. Frizzell didn’t take the time to wait until the machine was fully shut down. Even further, the equipment should have been locked out and tagged out while being worked on, just so it was clear that it should not be started up.
Even farm equipment can be deadly; danger is not limited to the big machines that you see in construction. Our goal is to provide safety for many industries, and help all workers understand the standards and safety procedures for their work. In the case of this tragic accident, it may not have ended up the way it did if the man had had and followed safety procedures.
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