Skid steer loaders are capable of satisfying several functions because these machines are compact, flexible machines that can fit in tight spaces and lift heavy loads. A skid steer is a small machine with lift arms and four wheels or two tracks.

Recognizing the value of these machines, a large number of companies produce skid steers including ASV, Bobcat, Case, Caterpillar, Gehl Company, Hyundai, JCB, JLG, John Deere, Komatsu, LiuGong, Mustang, New Holland, Volvo, and Wacker Neuson.

These machines, however, have the potential to be very dangerous and can result in serious injuries or fatalities. There are numerous applicable federal and state laws regarding the safe use of a skid steer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that skid steers maintain certain safety standards related to falling object protective structures, interlocked controls, lift arm supports, rollover protective structures, seat belts, and side screens.

There are many causes of skid steer accidents. Most bobcat accidents involve the following:

  • Operating the skid steer on unstable ground.
  • Workers run over by a skid steer on the job site.
  • Skid steer Rollovers.
  • Skid steers overloading.
  • Workers pinned between the skid steer and another object.

Each year, a large number of accidents occur involving skid steers. Some of the most recent examples include the following:

  • In 2017, a worker in Minnesota was seriously injured after being struck by the front end of a skid steer loader.
  • In 2017, a three-year-old was run over by a skid steer. The boy was attempting to pick up a rock located between the front tire of the skid steer loader at the time that the accident occurred.
  • In 2017, a skid steer in South Dakota caught fire due to unknown causes.

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Safety Tips to Prevent Skid Loader Accidents in the Workplace

Workers and employers should ensure the following safety precautions are in place in order to prevent skid steer accidents:

  • Avoid exceeding the speed capacity of the skid steer.
  • Add barriers or protective structures around the job site.
  • Lower the skid steer’s bucket slowly.
  • Operate a skid steer with bystanders at a safe distance.
  • Using spotters when there are many workers on the site
  • Use caution when dumping a load from the skid steer.
  • Secure loads that could potentially fall from a skid steer.
  • Wear seat belts while operating the skid steer.
  • When traveling on public roads, travel at low speeds and exercise flashing lights.

Brockton Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

Our Brockton workers’ compensation attorneys are able to secure the following benefits for injured workers and their families when workers sustain injuries for accidents that occur within the scope of the workers employment: Partial disability benefits, temporary total disability benefits, permanent and total disability benefits, death benefits, scarring and disfigurement benefits.

If you or a loved one is injured in a skid steer accident, it is a wise idea to obtain the assistance of a skilled Boston work injury lawyer. The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan are a group of Massachusetts work accident lawyers with over 35 years of legal experience. Our legal counsel has helped individuals who have been injured in a number of work site accidents including heavy machinery.

Our Boston Bobcat Accident Lawyers represent the residents of Plymouth County including Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, Duxbury, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Middleborough; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Norton; Cape Cod, Falmouth, Barnstable and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Lynn, Revere, Everett, Lawrence, Dorchester, Roxbury and Somerville.