SOUTHERN MINNESOTA BEET SUGAR COOP.

Employee killed in short fall from fixed ladder

Employee #1 was descending a fixed metal ladder attached to the side of a hopper at a sugar beet piling station. When he was on the second or third rung from th e bottom of the ladder, he fell backward, struck the base of his skull against t he ground, and was killed. The ladder was 4 feet long and the distance from the top of the hopper to the ground was 5 feet 7 inches. Depending upon the rung fro m which Employee #1 fell, the approximate fall distance ranged from 2 feet 7 inc hes to 3 feet 7 inches. The medical examiner reported the cause of death as a cl osed head injury with skull fractures and evidence of brain damage.