Finding into death of Dominic Salvatore Mele
Deceased
Dominic Salvatore Mele
Demographics
53y, male
Date of death
2020-12-17
Finding date
2022-07-18
Cause of death
Mechanical asphyxia in the setting of a ride-on lawnmower incident (driver)
AI-generated summary
Dominic Salvatore Mele, a 53-year-old gardening contractor, died from mechanical asphyxia after a ride-on lawnmower rolled sideways while he was mowing across a steep 60-degree embankment. The Ferris F-50XT mower was not fitted with a roll-over protection structure. The coroner found the death may have been preventable had the mower included such protection. Key issues identified included conflicting safety advice (ACCC recommends mowing up/down slopes, while the mower manual recommended across), lack of gradient assessment tools for operators, and absence of mandatory roll-over protection structures on ride-on mowers. The coroner recommended updating safety standards to include inbuilt gradient gauges/alarms and implementing education campaigns regarding roll-over risks.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Operation of ride-on lawnmower on steep slope exceeding manufacturer recommendations (60-degree embankment vs. 15-degree maximum recommended)
- Absence of roll-over protection structure on the Ferris F-50XT mower
- Conflicting safety advice regarding direction of mowing on slopes between ACCC (up/down) and mower manual (across)
- Lack of effective gradient assessment tools for operators
- Operator mowing across slope as per mower manual rather than up/down as per ACCC guidance
Coroner's recommendations
- Product Safety Australia should consider updating the mandatory safety standard to ensure that ride-on lawnmowers be fitted with an inbuilt gradient gauge or alarm to allow operators to easily assess the gradient risk
- WorkSafe Victoria should implement a safety communication campaign specific to ride-on lawnmowers and the risk of roll-over to ensure better education and to highlight the risk to operators
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