Unrecognized metal fixture
The yard check did not identify and remove or mark the low pet tie-out stake before mowing began.
The goggles were on.
The projectile still had a path.
Two landscaping workers checked a residential yard before beginning. Both wore safety goggles. A commercial mower then struck a low metal pet tie-out stake and sent a fragment toward a coworker working about 25 feet away.
Case File 004 · Film
The goggles were on.
About this film: This is a reenactment based on the public report—not footage of the real worker or workplace.
Control first
Remove the projectile before the mower creates it.
The investigation put the first safeguards ahead of personal protective equipment (PPE): check the work area, remove or mark hazards, aim the mower discharge away from people, and keep workers separated. The worker wore goggles, but goggles could not stop the mower from launching an object.
01
Protective gear cannot stop a machine from firing an object at a coworker.
Control the object, the discharge direction, and the work zone first. Eye, face, and side-of-head protection are important final layers—but they do not replace clearing the area or keeping people out of the line of fire.
The documented record
What the investigation found.
The facts below come from the official federal worker-fatality investigation. The reenactments are not evidence or a literal copy of the scene.
- 01The assignment
Two workers arrived at a residential property to mow and trim the lawn after completing eight other properties that day.
- 02The initial check
Before work began, both workers examined the yard for debris. A low spiral metal pet tie-out stake remained in the grass.
- 03The work zone
One worker operated a string trimmer approximately 25 feet from a coworker using a commercial stand-on mower. Both workers were wearing safety goggles.
- 04The projectile
The mower struck the stake, sheared off a metal fragment, and discharged it toward the other worker. The fragment struck the worker on the side of the head.
- 05The outcome
The worker died the following day. The medical examiner identified traumatic brain injury from blunt-force trauma caused by the metal projectile.
My safety take: The exact positions at impact do not change the prevention lesson. A worker should never be in a mower’s discharge path. The yard needed to be cleared, the discharge directed away from people, and the workers kept out of each other’s line of fire. Goggles were only a final layer of protection—not the control that should have been relied on.
The failure chain
The hazard crossed every remaining layer.
The fatal sequence began with a small object that stayed in the work area and ended with an open path between the mower and a nearby worker.
Line of fire remained open
The mower discharge deflector faced toward the area where the other worker was working.
A coworker remained within range
The report noted that mower-thrown objects can travel unpredictable distances; no universal safe distance was established.
The prevention plan
Five controls before the blades turn.
These controls paraphrase the NIOSH recommendations and place PPE after the source, path, and work-zone controls.
Walk, clear, and mark the property
Remove sticks, rocks, wire, stakes, and temporary fixtures. Clearly flag anything that cannot be removed.
Control the discharge path
Never aim a mower discharge toward people or buildings. Sequence mowing and trimming so workers do not enter each other’s line of fire.
Keep guards and deflectors effective
Inspect the discharge deflector and other guards before use. Keep them installed and correctly positioned; replace damaged or warped components.
Use additional containment where appropriate
Evaluate manufacturer-approved grass-catching or mulching attachments that can help contain material rather than discharging it.
Match protective gear to the danger
Select the right eye, face, hearing, foot, and—where needed—side-of-head protection. Train workers in words and a language they understand.
What the rules point to
Control the projectile path, then protect the worker.
Eye and face protection matters, but the work area, equipment condition, discharge direction, and separation between workers remain the stronger controls.
Hazard assessment and eye protection
29 CFR 1910.132 addresses PPE assessment, selection, and training. 29 CFR 1910.133 addresses eye and face protection from flying particles and other hazards.
California’s prevention and PPE framework
Title 8 §3203 requires hazard identification, correction, and training through the IIPP. §3380 addresses personal protective devices, and §3382 requires suitable eye or face protection where flying-particle injury risks exist.
The California material is presented as a comparison for California employers and workers. It does not establish which jurisdiction governed the original incident.
Episode 004 transcript
A 51-second faceless cut.
The narration keeps PPE in its proper place: behind debris removal, discharge control, guarding, and worker separation.
“The goggles were on. The hazard was still aimed at him.”
“Two landscaping workers checked a residential yard before mowing and trimming. A low metal pet tie-out stake remained hidden in the grass.”
“One worker ran a string trimmer about twenty-five feet from a coworker operating a commercial stand-on mower.”
“The mower struck the stake, sheared off a fragment, and fired it through the discharge path toward the other worker.”
“The metal struck the side of his head. He died the following day from a traumatic brain injury.”
“PPE was the last layer, not the first. Clear and mark the work area. Control the mower discharge. Keep people out of the line of fire. Inspect guards and deflectors before the blades turn.”
Source ledger
Read the record yourself.
Primary government sources are linked directly. FACE investigations identify hazards and prevention measures; they do not enforce standards or determine fault.
- PRIMARYNIOSH FACE Report 2013-04CDC report ↗
Incident facts, contributing factors, and prevention recommendations supporting this case file.
- PPEOSHA 29 CFR 1910.133Open OSHA source ↗
Federal general-industry requirements for eye and face protection against flying particles and other identified hazards.
- PROGRAMNIOSH FACE ProgramAbout FACE ↗
Explains the program’s prevention mission and its non-enforcement, non-fault role.