DORSET, Ohio — An employee on an Ashtabula County dairy farm died in a farm accident Dec. 14.
Jim Comp, owner of Comp Dairy Farm near Dorset, Ohio, confirmed that an incident occurred at the dairy. According to Comp, a legal worker named Santos (no last name was available) from Puerto Rico was reportedly scraping manure into a lagoon with a tractor when he got too close and tractor went in.
Comp said the safety chain, which is supposed to stop anything from getting into the lagoon, gave way and the tractor ended up on top of Santos in the lagoon.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.
The tractor is not supposed to be used in this manner, according to Comp, who said a skid steer is supposed to be used, but for some reason was not used.
Comp suspects speed was also a factor in the accident.
Comp said he contacted OSHA within eight hours of the accident as required by law. He has contacted a Cleveland attorney to help him to handle the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation.
