Government mower

[rd_macgregor]

Usually the government is eager to implement all kinds of detailed (and sometimes silly) regulations to protect us from our own stupidity. Most of the time, they are also equally conscientious about safety rules for their own employees. Here is an exception that has bugged me for the past couple of years.
This is one of several fancy mowers used to maintain the grounds at an Agriculture Canada Research Station facility in Prince Edward Island. Not only do the operators NEVER put the ROPS up, it is obvious that the ROPS is never intended to be raised. Notice that there is a tool box bolted across the lowered ROPS in such a way that raising the ROPS would dump all the tools out onto the ground (no, I couldn't see any kind of latch on the tool box).
There are several places on the property where these guys mow along roadside ditches, so a rollover is always possible. It MAY never happen, but somebody will be in trouble if it does and someone is injured or killed.
BOB

 

[crazyal]

Is the the top of the box facing up or is it facing backwards and the latch is keeping it closed? Of course if they had to drill holes or weld a mount to the ROPS that's would have been a stupid thing to do.

 

[Heavyduty]

Usually the government is eager to implement all kinds of detailed (and sometimes silly) regulations to protect us from our own stupidity. Most of the time, they are also equally conscientious about safety rules for their own employees. Here is an exception that has bugged me for the past couple of years.
This is one of several fancy mowers used to maintain the grounds at an Agriculture Canada Research Station facility in Prince Edward Island. Not only do the operators NEVER put the ROPS up, it is obvious that the ROPS is never intended to be raised. Notice that there is a tool box bolted across the lowered ROPS in such a way that raising the ROPS would dump all the tools out onto the ground (no, I couldn't see any kind of latch on the tool box).
There are several places on the property where these guys mow along roadside ditches, so a rollover is always possible. It MAY never happen, but somebody will be in trouble if it does and someone is injured or killed.
BOB

Did yall see that the safety deflector is held back by a bungee cord?
If you run over a stick or rock it can bounce off that tree and hit the operator. It happened to me, so I know it's possible.:laughing:

 

[tcartwri]

If the ROPS is deemed to be a hazard to the operator, it can be folded down. Grass cutting around trees definitely meets that criteria.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Here's a shot from a different angle. I'm sure that mowing under trees is a contributing factor to having the ROPS folded all the time; as the landscaping matures, that should be less and less of an excuse, though.
The hinges on the toolbox are at the back/top and, as far as I can tell, there is no latch, so the lid would flap like the tailgate on a dumptruck if they ever raised the ROPS.
I have to admit that I am assuming the box is bolted to/through the ROPS bars (otherwise it would bounce around too much), but I haven't actually looked closely to verify this.
BOB

 

[Mace Canute]

Did yall see that the safety deflector is held back by a bungee cord?
If you run over a stick or rock it can bounce off that tree and hit the operator. It happened to me, so I know it's possible.:laughing:

Not to mention he is cutting with the discharge pointing to a sidewalk. He might stop when someone comes down the sidewalk, but who knows for sure? Maybe he figures he is far enough away from the pedestrian that it's safe, but we all know how far a small heavy object can be launched by mower blades...much farther than most people would ever expect...and having the deflector up in the air allows any object shot out to be launched upwards instead of down along the ground. I consider that to be more of a concern than the ROPS.

 

[Heavyduty]

Not to mention he is cutting with the discharge pointing to a sidewalk. He might stop when someone comes down the sidewalk, but who knows for sure? Maybe he figures he is far enough away from the pedestrian that it's safe, but we all know how far a small heavy object can be launched by mower blades...much farther than most people would ever expect...and having the deflector up in the air allows any object shot out to be launched upwards instead of down along the ground. I consider that to be more of a concern than the ROPS.

Yeap, those unseen hazards seem to show up at the worst possible time.

Many years ago when I was a kid, I was cutting the grass between the road/ditch when a rock bounced off the road and hit my sister in the forehead. Guess who dad blamed for that one?

 

[Taylortractornut]

I got ticket from an OSHA man one time for being over 6 feet off the ground without being tied off gettin on a 980 Cat loader once. He was helping paint the office he worked at and fell off a scaffold without a harness. I had to laugh at him.

 

[Rustyiron]

I got ticket from an OSHA man one time for being over 6 feet off the ground without being tied off gettin on a 980 Cat loader once. He was helping paint the office he worked at and fell off a scaffold without a harness. I had to laugh at him.

Too bad all the OSHA inspectors don't fall on their ***** now and then, that way they would know what a pain in the ***** that they are!
Don't get me started on that topic!
It seems that all the folding rops fold at a point that in a rollover where would be enough room left for surviving with a bumped head only, that is if your tied in.

 

[jinman]

Maybe I am wrong, but I'd bet the mowing is done by a contractor instead of a gov't employee. If it were in the US, I'm sure it would be that way, but I'm not sure about Canada.:confused3: The reason I say it's a contractor is there aren't 4 or 5 guys standing around doing nothing and the guy on the mower is actually smiling.:laughing: