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This document contains basic information about tractor overturns
and methods for decreasing overturn injuries and fatalities. The
guide is designed to provide ideas and organizational assistance
to a facilitator or instructor (professional or volunteer) who
wishes to develop and implement a community-based educational
program for reducing injuries and deaths due to tractor overturns.
Preliminary indications are that educational programming and the
availability of rollover protective structures (ROPS) are having
a positive impact on tractor safety.
This guide is designed to provide ideas and organizational assistance to a facilitator or instructor who wishes to develop and implement a community-based educational program focusing on reducing injuries and deaths due to tractor overturns.
This guide contains basic information on tractor overturns and methods for decreasing overturn injuries and fatalities. Additionally, methods for a facilitator to implement such a program in a community are presented.
The guide is divided into sections with each representing a separate
phase or task associated with conducting a successful program.
TRAC-SAFE: A Community-based Program for Reducing Injuries and Deaths from Tractor Overtums was developed to be used by community volunteers or professionals for developing and implementing community-based programs to reduce agricultural injuries and fatalities. TRAC-SAFE focuses only on tractor overturns. TRAC is an acronym for Tractor Risk Abatement and Control.
The TRAC-SAFE worksheets were developed for use in a tractor injury prevention program that involved a county in Iowa with a high incidence of tractor-related deaths. Final results of that project will be released in 1996. However, preliminary indications are that the educational programming with emphasis on tractor safety combined with an offering of the rollover protective structure (ROPS) at a cost of $250-$500 from John Deere are having an impact. For example, during the past year, at least 50 ROPS have been installed by one John Deere dealer in that county.
This program can be presented either to a group or single farm. Perhaps the best combination would be to have an initial group presentation, followed by farmers doing their individual assessments, and then returning for a follow-up closing meeting.
If an incentive package sponsored by local businesses (such as coupons, safety items, stickers, etc.) is developed, this can be presented to participating families at the closing meeting.
This guidebook consists of three primary sections and an introduction
to planning a community-based program. Section I looks at the
problem of the high number of injuries and deaths related to tractor
overturns and suggests ways to reduce it. Section II includes
necessary items to begin community planning and to empower local
leaders to action. The third section of appendices has worksheets
and program materials needed to carry out TRAC-SAFE.
This page was last updated 9/16/96:
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