Consumer Product Safety

Snowplows

December 10, 2001

Accidents of Snowplows (Calling Attention)

Accident information (generated from December 2000 to March 2001) was reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in total 7 cases.
To prevent such accidents from occurrence, NITE releases the past accident information and calls attention to the users.

1. Accidents Occurrence Situations

  1. （１）When a user tried to remove the snow piled on the rotary part during snow removing works, a part of the body was caught in the snowplow, because an engine or the rotary part was not completely stopped. (3 cases)
  2. （２）When a user looks in at the rotary part during snow removing works, a sleeve of the outerwear was caught in the snowplow so that the user was slightly injured in the face and the head. (one case)
  3. （３）Due to carelessness of a family, a victim working in front of the snowplow was caught in the rotary part of the snowplow and seriously injured in the hand and the leg. (one case)
  4. （４）After finishing the snow removing works, a user reversed the snowplow to store, but then he was sandwiched in a space toward the wall, compressed in the belly, and died from the shock. (one case)
  5. （５）A user performed the snow removal works without attaching a safety device (A clip type detection switch to be attached to the clothes of the operator and when it is detached form the clothes, the engine is made to stop.) which stops the engine when the user moved away from the operation position of the snowplow. When he moved his body away from the snowplow, the engine did not stop and his right ankle was caught in the rotary part to injure the Achilles' tendon.

(The aforementioned cases (1) - (4) are based on the inquiry of the police and the case (5) is based on the report of the firm.)

Besides the aforementioned accidents, another death case was reported that a person used a snowplow remodeled from a tiller and a part of the body was caught into the rotary part to death.

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3. Matters Required Attention

  1. （１）During operating an engine or rotating a rotary part, be thoroughly careful never to touch the rotary part with the body.
  2. （２）When removing the snow, attentively watch the state of the ground and obstructs in the surroundings so as to neither tumble down nor be clamped.
  3. （３）Where a safe device is attached thereto, surely read the instruction and use it properly.

Contact us

 Consumer Product Safety Public Relations Division  Product Safety Technology Center  National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Phone number:+81-6-6612-2066
Fax number:+81-6-6612-1617
Address:1-22-16 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 5590034, Japan MAP
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