WVU Update
Published as a Special Insert for Farm Bureau News
Summer 2016
Practicing tractor safety prevents accidents
R
ollovers, runovers, entanglements and highway collisions involving
agricultural tractors kill approximately 250 people a year, making
it the leading cause of death and serious injury in the agriculture industry.
While rollovers consistently account for more than half this total, falls
involving both tractor operators and riders are another major type of
tractor accident.
By the numbers
Rollover protective structure
Most tractor accidents occur to people
ages 25 to 64; however, operators under
age 15 and over age 64 have seven to
ten times more accidents per hour of
machine use than operators in the 25
to 64 age group. More than 85 percent
of all tractor accidents involve members
of the farm family. Of the leading
sources of fatal injuries to youth on
farms, 23 percent involved machinery
(including tractors) and 19 percent
involved motor vehicles (including
ATVs). Few tractor operators, family
or otherwise, have had proper training
for tractor operation.
The use of rollover protective structures
(ROPS) and a seat belt is estimated to
be 99 percent effective in preventing
Cabs
More and more farmers are recognizing
the safety, comfort and utility of a cab.
A cab built around a crush-resistant
protective frame will give protection
from overturns, dust, weather and
will reduce fatigue. It should also be
designed to keep noise at a safe level.
the operator when a rollover occurs.
When used with a seat belt, the ROPS
will prevent the operator from being
thrown from the protective zone and
crushed from an overturning tractor.
The National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
estimates that there are approximately
4.7 million tractors in use on United
States farms; unfortunately, one-half
of them are without rollover protection
for the operator.
Tips
• Be sure that each person who operates
a tractor is trained, physically fit
and qualified to do the job.
• Don’t allow extra riders and don’t
ask to be an extra rider. Tractors
are designed only for the drivers,
so make this a firm rule.
ROPS are roll bars or roll cages
designed for protection.
death or serious injury in the event of
a tractor rollover. ROPS are roll bars
or roll cages designed for wheel- and
track-type agricultural tractors. The
ROPS create a protective zone around
• Keep power take-off (PTO) shields
and guards in place. An unshielded
or partially shielded shaft can catch
clothing and wrap a person around
it in a fraction of a second. Even
though only a small part of the
shaft or knuckle is exposed,
a PTO can maim, cripple and
cause death.
– continued on page iii –
Insert provided by WVU Extension Service and Davis College of Ag., Natural Resources, and Design
Summer 2016
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 15