Asphalt Roller Operator Dies Following Rollover Incident in Missouri

On April 14, 1997, a 24-year-old female asphalt roller operator was fatally injured when a 10-ton asphalt roller rolled over her. The victim was working with a small crew on a highway outer-road resurfacing project. She had a total of 30 hours experience operating the roller on street repairs. This was her first resurfacing project. Her task was to compress the freshly poured asphalt, working around a driveway to a private business. She was rolling the transition of the fresh asphalt and a concrete driveway. In an attempt to drive the roller back onto the main road it slipped off the edge of the road and slid toward a small ditch. The equipment rolled over on its side. The victim, who was not wearing her seat belt, was struck by the Roll Over Protective Structure (ROPS). The MO FACE investigator concluded that in order to prevent similar occurrences, all employers should:
ensure that all employees wear seatbelts during operation of any heavy equipment equipped with Roll Over Protective Structures;
provide workers training on how to react in the event of an equipment rollover;
implement a training program specifically tailored to operators and their assigned equipment;
provide worker training for hazard recognition and avoidance, along with safe work practices.