Finding into death of Frank Hulland
Deceased
FRANK JOHN HULLAND
Demographics
77y, male
Date of death
2018-05-07
Finding date
2019-04-03
Cause of death
Chest and pelvic injuries sustained in a farming incident
AI-generated summary
A 77-year-old farmer died from chest and pelvic injuries sustained in a farm machinery incident. Mr Hulland was operating a Ford utility with an attached hydraulic trailer in low gear without a driver, a common practice for distributing hay while working alone. Evidence suggests he fell and was struck by the vehicle or trailer. While no specific medical conditions directly contributed to his death, the coroner highlighted that agricultural work involving unmanned machinery operation poses significant risks, particularly for older workers operating alone in remote locations. The death represents a preventable tragedy associated with unsafe farm practices rather than a medical error, though the coroner recommended WorkSafe Victoria create targeted safety information about risks of using machinery alone on farms.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Vehicle operated in gear without driver supervision
- Working alone on farm
- Operation of unfamiliar hydraulic tipper trailer
- High-risk agricultural machinery operation
- Remote farm location
- Age-related factors in agricultural workforce
Coroner's recommendations
- WorkSafe Victoria should create and publish safety information about the risks associated with the use of machinery and equipment on farms where a person is working alone
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