Worker caught in PTO shaft may never speak again

Friday 12 November 2004

A Hastings orchard worker whose jersey was caught in an unguarded power take off (PTO) shaft suffered horrendous injuries and may never speak again.

The Department of Labour's occupational safety and health service prosecuted Francis Anthony Caccioppoli, as trustee of the Caccioppoli Family Trust No 2 trading as Longview Orchard, for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of the worker. He was convicted in the Hastings District Court this week and ordered to pay the victim $15,000 in reparation.

The worker was seriously injured in March this year, after his jersey got tangled up in the unguarded PTO shaft of an orchard sprayer. His larynx was fractured and his spine damaged. He had to undergo a tracheotomy, and it's unclear whether he will ever be able to breath without the help of the tracheotomy tube or if he will ever regain his voice.

OSH agriculture advisor John Hudson said the tragedy of this case was that the PTO shaft had been left in unguarded state for at least a year before the accident.

'Power take off shafts are used on many agricultural and horticultural machines, and they are quite simply one of the most dangerous things you can find on a farm or orchard. Clothing can easily become entangled in unguarded PTO shafts and the result is often fatal,' Mr Hudson said.

'Proper guards on PTO shafts are essential, and farm owners and managers who skimp on this are putting their lives, and the lives of their workers, at risk.'

OSH investigates an average of two or three serious accidents or fatalities involving PTO shafts every year, and has prosecuted 10 individuals or companies in the past 10 years for PTO accidents.