Cannabis detected in fatally wounded agricultural worker
On 8th February 2014 an agricultural worker was crushed to death while attempting to repair his fertiliser-spreading tractor at a farm in Norfolk. The wheel of the stationary vehicle crushed Kevin Alderton, a 34-year-old farm worker, after the on-board computer automatically turned the steering wheel to realign the wheels. If Mr Alderton had removed the keys from the vehicle, the accident would not have happened.
An inquest into his death, which was held on Monday 24th February 2014, concluded accidental death, although a health and safety review is on-going.
A post-mortem examination was carried out and Mr Alderton had traces of cannabis-derived chemicals in his body. Experts could not say how recently he had taken cannabis or determine if the quantity had been enough to affect his judgement or decision-making at the time of the accident; therefore, it was not possible to conclude that cannabis was a factor.
Colin Baxter, the team leader who had worked with Mr Alderton for 16 years, said that he had appeared “normal” on the morning of the accident.
While there is no clear evidence that cannabis was a contributing factor to this accident, it does raise concern if people employed to work with heavy machinery are cannabis users.
Research has shown that cannabis affects an individual’s impulsivity, attention, memory, cognition and decision-making abilities. If Mr Alderton had been smoking cannabis on the morning of the accident, it is possible that it affected his actions; he may not otherwise have left the keys in the ignition before making mechanical adjustments under the vehicle.