105178 - CHS INC

Employee is killed when struck by boom

At 2:30 p.m. on October 3, 2022, two employees were fertilizing a field in Marshall, MN. One employee was at the exterior controls of a fertilizer tender truck (known as a "Tender"), while a coworker was in the fertilizer applicator machine (known as a "Spreader") repositioning it to accept the fertilizer load. The Tender was at the field's edge facing west, with the auger at the rear of the vehicle facing east. The Spreader was facing north, positioned behind the Tender, under the auger. While repositioning the Spreader and moving forward, the Spreader operator failed to stop, causing the Spreader's boom to strike the Tender Operator's head, and the rear of the Tender, resulting in fatal injuries. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene.