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Safety and Health Information Bulletin 

(SHIB) is not a standard or regulation, and it 

creates no new legal obligations. The SHIB 

is advisory in nature, informational in 

content, and is intended to assist employers 

in providing a safe and healthful workplace. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act

requires employers to comply with safety and 

health standards promulgated by OSHA or 

by a state with an OSHA-approved state 

plan. In addition, pursuant to Section 

5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause of the Act, 

employers must provide their employees with 

a workplace free from recognized hazards 

likely to cause death or serious physical 

harm. Employers can be cited for violating 

the General Duty Clause if there is a 

recognized hazard and they do not take 

reasonable steps to prevent or abate the 

hazard. However, failure to implement any 

recommendations in this SHIB is not, in 

itself, a violation of the General Duty 

Clause. Citations can only be based on 

standards, regulations, and the General 

Duty Clause. 

U. S. Department of Labor 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine 

Office of Science and Technology Assessment 

Safety and Health Information Bulletin: Compactor Rollover Hazard

Safety and Health Information Bulletin

SHIB 09/29/2008

Preface 

 

Between 2000 and 2006, OSHA 

investigated over 50 rollover incidents 

that involved a variety of 

roller/compactor makes and models. Of 

the rollover accidents investigated: 

• 5 involved roller/compactors 

with rollover protective 

structures (ROPS) where 

operators used the seatbelts 

provided. None of these 

accidents resulted in a fatality. 

• 19 involved roller/compactors 

with ROPS, but seatbelts were 

not used. In some cases, 

seatbelts were not provided. In 

other cases, the seatbelts 

provided were not used by the 

operators. Fourteen of these 

accidents resulted in fatalities. In 

a number of these cases, the 

operator was either ejected or 

jumped from the equipment, and 

was pinned under or crushed by 

the ROPS. 

• 1 case involved a pneumatic 

rubber-tired roller/compactor 

where the ROPS and seatbelt had 

been removed prior to the 

accident. The operator involved 

was fatally injured in the 

accident. This accident is 

described below (Accident #1)> 

• 6 cases involved pneumatic 

rubber-tired roller/compactors 

without ROPS. In all of these 

cases, the accident resulted in a 

fatality. One such accident is 

described below (Accident #2). 

The fatal accidents in the last two bullets 

above are the focus of this Safety and 

Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), and 

are described in detail below. 
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Purpose 

The purpose of this Safety and Health 

Information Bulletin is: 

• to remind employers and employees 

of the rollover hazard when 

operating roller/compactor machines, 

and that ROPS and seatbelts can 

reduce the risk; 

• to alert users and operators that, 

when they operate roller/compactors 

on uneven surfaces, the likelihood of 

a rollover is significantly increased; 

and 

• to encourage employers to carefully 

evaluate roadways and work surfaces 

where roller/compactors are operated 

for dangerous inclines/declines. 

Background 

The OSHA Englewood Area Office 

investigated two fatal accidents in 2005 

in southern Colorado involving the 

rollover of pneumatic rubber-tired 

roller/compactors. The machines 

involved in these fatal accidents were 

produced by different manufacturers, but 

they were very similar in nature. Each 

machine had pneumatic rubber tires and 

a low center of gravity. These machines 

are often used in the compacting process 

during road construction and paving 

operations. 

In both cases, OSHA concluded that if 

the machine had been equipped with a 

ROPS system, and if the operator had 

been wearing a seatbelt, the likelihood of 

the operator’s survival would have 

increased significantly. 

Roller/Compactor Involved in 

 Accident #1 

(ROPS and seatbelts were removed 

 prior to the accident) 

Pneumatic Tired Roller/Compactor 

Figure 1 

Roller/Compactor Involved in 

Accident #2 

 (ROPS was not provided and the 

 operator was not wearing a seatbelt) 

 

Self-Propelled Pneumatic Tired Roller/ 

Compactor 

Figure 2
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Accident Description

• Accident #1 – In May 2005, an 

employee was fatally injured while 

operating a pneumatic rubber- tired 

roller/compactor on a roadway 

during asphalt compacting. The 

roller/compactor ran off the road and 

traveled down a 22-degree sloping 

embankment. It rolled over 11⁄2 

times, coming to a stop on its top. 

The operator was thrown from the 

machine and was fatally crushed 

between the machine and the ground. 

Although the roller/compactor was 

originally equipped and sold with a 

ROPS and a seatbelt, the ROPS and 

seatbelt had been removed prior to 

the accident. 

• Accident #2 – In August 2005, an 

employee was operating a pneumatic 

rubber-tired roller/compactor on a 

gravel road, rolling magnesium 

chloride into the gravel. The 

roller/compactor ran off the road and 

traveled down a 28-degree sloping 

embankment. It rolled onto its side 

and came to a stop. As the machine 

traveled down the embankment, the 

operator was thrown from the 

machine and fatally crushed. The 

roller/compactor was not provided 

with a ROPS and the operator was 

not wearing a seatbelt. 

Other Information 

A ROPS is a protective frame that is 

mounted on the machine and extends above 

the operator’s seat (see Figure 1). In 

addition to bearing the weight of the 

machine during a rollover event, ROPS are 

designed to minimize the likelihood that the 

machine will overturn completely, thereby 

reducing the possibility that the operator will 

be crushed as a result of rollover or upset. A 

principle applied in ROPS design is to 

restrict the overturn to no more than 90 

degrees. [1] A ROPS may be designed with 

one, two, or four posts, and it may have a 

canopy overhead; the canopy may be 

designed as part of the ROPS. Some 

machines have a single-post ROPS with a 

canopy that extends to the sides which is 

designed to absorb the impact of a rollover. 

ROPS need to be used in combination with a 

seatbelt. As discussed in the Preface, 

operators who do not use seatbelts may be 

ejected from the machine and then crushed 

between the machine and the ground. The 

operator can even strike the ROPS as the 

operator is thrown from the equipment. A 

ROPS only provides protection if the 

operator remains in the seat. In some 

investigations, OSHA noted that operators 

had removed their seatbelts and jumped 

from the equipment, negating the protection 

offered by a ROPS. 

During the investigation of Accidents #1 and 

#2, it was determined that ROPS were 

available for both machines. In Accident #1, 

the ROPS had been removed by the 

employer for convenience during a previous 

project and had not been replaced. In 

Accident #2, the machine had initially been 

sold without ROPS, but an aftermarket 

ROPS had been developed, tested and was 

available. 

The Center to Protect Workers Rights 

(CPWR), through a cooperative agreement 

with the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH), evaluated 58 

roller/compactor overturn accidents and 

summarized the results in a report titled 

Compactor Overturns and Rollover 

Protective Structures (M. Meyers, April 

2004). This report highlighted a number of 

hazards associated with rollovers, including: 
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• Working near the edge of a road 

or an embankment was the most 

hazardous situation in the 58 

rollover accidents studied. The 

second most significant factors 

were steep slopes and roadway 

curves, where problems with 

gear-shifting and brakes resulted 

in runaways. 

• Compacting soil appeared to be 

more hazardous than other 

operations. Hazards included the 

soil edges and soft soil pockets 

that could drop under the weight 

of the unit. 

• Loading and unloading 

roller/compactors onto and off of 

trailers posed a potential overturn 

hazard. Hazards were caused by 

skidding on the ramps, using 

wood blocks or planks as ramps, 

or loading/unloading a machine 

that was too narrow to span both 

units of the ramp. 

Conclusions 

During the course of OSHA’s investigations, 

it was determined that if the machines 

involved in these accidents had been 

equipped with ROPS, and if the operators 

had been wearing seatbelts, the likelihood of 

the operator’s survival would have increased 

significantly. 

OSHA Requirements 

While OSHA does not have a standard 

requiring employers to use ROPS or 

seatbelts for this type of roller/compactor 

equipment, it is important for employers to 

understand that under the General Duty 

Clause of the OSH Act (section 5(a)(1) of 

the Act), employers must provide their 

employees with a workplace that is free 

from recognized hazards likely to cause 

death or serious physical harm. It is 

OSHA’s position that the hazard of 

equipment rollover is a “recognized hazard” 

within the meaning of the General Duty 

Clause of the OSH Act. [3, 4] 

In cases where the employer chooses to 

operate these types of machines in areas 

where the potential for rollover is present 

(e.g., loading or unloading, operating on 

slopes or near slope edges, etc.) and the 

equipment is not equipped with ROPS and 

seatbelts, a General Duty Clause violation 

may exist. 

In addition, OSHA’s Construction Standard 

“General safety and health provisions,” 29 

CFR 1926.20(b)(4), states “the employer 

shall permit only those employees qualified 

by training or experience to operate 

equipment and machinery.” Section 

1926.21(b)(2), “Safety training and 

education,” states further that “the employer 

shall instruct each employee in the 

recognition and avoidance of unsafe 

conditions....” 

Therefore, employers performing 

construction work are required to ensure that 

roller/compactor operators are trained to use 

the equipment properly and to understand 

how to recognize those situations and 

conditions that pose a rollover hazard. For 

example, operators need to understand that: 

• soft edges can cause one side of the 

equipment to sink and therefore may 

pose a risk of rollover; 

• turning away from a slope with 

articulated steering can destabilize 

the compactor; 

• improperly inflated tires can 

destabilize roller/compactors; and 

• rain or wet conditions can pose a 

hazard during unloading and can 

increase the possibility of rollovers 
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near embankments as soil conditions 

become unstable. 

Although OSHA does not have a standard 

that requires ROPS for roller/compactor 

equipment, OSHA does have construction 

and agriculture standards that have 

requirements for ROPS involving other 

types of equipment. Specifically, OSHA’s 

Construction Standard 29 CFR 1926.1001 

sets minimum performance criteria for 

ROPS for certain scrapers, loaders, dozers 

and graders, and crawler tractors, and 29 

CFR 1926.1002 sets requirements for ROPS 

frames for the protection of operators of 

wheel-type agricultural and industrial 

tractors used in construction. OSHA’s 

Agriculture Standard 29 CFR 

1928.51(b)(2)(i)(A) requires ROPS for 

tractors used in agricultural operations, as 

well as seatbelts where ROPS are required. 

29 CFR 1928.52 and 1928.53 establishes 

test and performance requirements for 

protective frames and protective enclosures 

designed for wheel-type agricultural tractors 

to minimize the frequency and severity of 

operator injury. These standards are beyond 

the scope of this SHIB, but noted for 

informational purposes. However, to ensure 

that ROPS used by the construction industry 

will protect roller/compactor operators, 

OSHA recommends that construction 

employers use ROPS on these machines that 

comply with the testing requirements 

specified by these standards. 

Recommendations 

Employers using roller/compactors should 

evaluate their worksites and operations to 

identify potential rollover hazards. 

Although the conditions that cause such 

hazards may not be present at one 

construction site, they may be present at the 

next one. Therefore, OSHA recommends 

that as a matter of practice in all cases, 

employers should institute the following 

measures: 

• equip roller/compactors with a ROPS 

and seatbelt; 

• instruct operators to always wear 

seatbelts whenever operating the 

equipment; 

• consider using a warning system 

such as barricades, hand or 

mechanical signals, or stop logs 

when the equipment is operated near 

sloped edges, such as an 

embankment and roadway edges, to 

alert equipment operators of their 

proximity to the hazard; and 

• conduct pre-shift inspections to make 

sure all equipment systems, 

including the braking system, the 

tires, and operator controls, are in 

proper working condition. 

 

References 

1. CPWR. Compactor Overturns and 

Rollover Protective Structures, 2004. 

Available online at: 

http://www.cdc.gov/eLCOSH/docs/d060

0/d000656/d000656.html 

2. NIOSH. Preventing Injuries When 

Working with Ride-on 

Roller/Compactors, 2005. 

http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/docs/d0600/d

000678/d000678.html 

3. OSHA. ROPS/seatbelts for roller 

compactors; lockout/tagout in 

construction. Letter of Interpretation 

dated March 16, 1998 and addressed to 

Mr. Brian McQuade. 

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadi

sp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRE

TATIONS&p_id=22547 
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4. OSHA. Guidelines for ROPS on

 pneumatic compactors and "skid 

 steer" equipment. Letter of 

 Interpretation dated March 16, 1998 

 and addressed to Mr. Robert S. 

 Beisel. 

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadi

sp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRE

TATIONS&p_id =22546 

Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. 

Assistant Secretary for 

Occupational Safety and Health