Iowa State University Extension
Promoting
Agricultural Health & Safety
Pm-1265d
| Revised | July 1996
Prepared
by Charles V. Schwab, extension safety specialist; Mark Hanna,
extension agricultural engineer; and Laura Miller, extension
communications.
Tractor
rollover safety |
How
much do you know? |
Test
your skill with this quick quiz.
1. There are 350 deaths every year in the United States
associated with tractors. What percent-age of those are
from tractor rollovers?
a) 10 percent
b) 52 percent
c) 75 percent
2.
If your tractor does not have ROPS, it's a good idea
to make and install your own out of heavy metal bars
to protect you in an overturn.
True or false?
3.
Which action(s) will reduce the chance that your tractor
will roll over?
a) increase speed when making sharp turns
b) heading up a steep slope
c) hitching higher than the drawbar to increase traction
d) none of the above
4.
If your tractor is equipped with a rollover protective
structure, you cannot roll the tractor over.
True or false?
Answers
to quiz: 1-b; 2- False; 3-d; 4-False
|
Tractors
are common to all farm operations. They also are the major
cause of death in agriculture today. Tractors are linked to
more than half of farm-related deaths, both nationally and in
Iowa. The National Safety Council estimates more than 350 people
were killed in 1994 while operating a tractor. About 52 percent
of those deaths were the result of a tractor rollover.
This
high death rate associated with tractor rollovers is not a
new problem. Since 1970, tractor rollover has been the leading
cause of farm operator deaths, according to the National Safety
Council.
Statistics
from tractor rollover accidents show that during the past
two decades, about five people are killed each year for every
100,000 tractors in operation. In Iowa, tractors were linked
to 32 deaths in 1994. The cumulative death toll from tractor
rollovers since the development of the tractor is staggering.
ROPS,
or rollover protective structure, is a cab or frame that provides
a safe environment for the tractor operator in the event of
a rollover. Also called anti-roll bars or ROPS cabs, all are
designed to prevent death and minimize injury.
However,
the first ROPS device was not marketed on new tractors until
1965. Many old tractors used today do not have ROPS.
The ROPS
frame must pass a series of static or dynamic crush tests.
These tests examine the ability of the ROPS to withstand various
loads to see if the protective zone around the operator station
remains intact in an overturn. The tests are extensive and
destroy the rollover protective structure.
A homemade
bar attached to the tractor axle, or simple sun shades, cannot
protect the operator if the tractor overturns. Farm operators
should not add their own rollover protection devices to tractors
manufactured without ROPS. Without proper design and testing,
homemade devices offer a false sense of security that can
be more dangerous than operating a tractor without ROPS. The
Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society
of Agricultural Engineers have standards on the design of
rollover protective structures.
ROPS
affords some safety during tractor overturns, but operators
need more protection. All operators of tractors equipped with
ROPS must wear seat belts. Without a seat belt, the operator
will not be confined to the protective zone created by the ROPS.
During
an overturn, the operator of a tractor with ROPS could be
thrown from the protected area and crushed by the tractor,
or even the rollover protective structure itself, if the
operator is not wearing a seat belt.
Never
use seat belts on a tractor without ROPS. In this case, the
operator has no chance of survival because the seat belt will
keep the operator in the seat as the tractor rolls over and
crushes the operator. It is not certain whether the operator
would be thrown clear from the tractor if seat belts were
not worn, but that remains the operator's only chance of survival.
Tractor
rollover Safety |
What
can you do? |
You
can reduce your risk of being injured or killed
while operating a tractor. Check your operation
for the following items.
- Identify
all tractors in your operation that have ROPS;
check for seat belts.
- Post
a reminder on tractors with ROPS for operators
to wear a seat belt.
- Make
a long-range plan to phase out or retrofit all
tractors without ROPS.
- Identify
tasks that would take you over steep embankments,
near ditches, around holes, and other areas
prone to tractor rollovers. Instruct everyone
who operates a tractor in these areas to use
only tractors with ROPS and seatbelts.
|
|
There
are several ways to reduce the possibility of tractor rollovers.
How-ever, these safety practices are not a substitute for ROPS.
Follow these tips, and use seat belts on tractors equipped with
ROPS, to keep operators safe.
- Avoid
sharp turns and reduce speed when turning. A tractor has
a high center of gravity and can tip. Compare the shape
of a tractor and a race car- race cars can turn at high
speeds be-cause they are low to the road; a tractor cannot
turn quickly without overturning because it sits high above
the road.
- Avoid
driving on steep embankments, near ditches, and around
holes. These areas are prone to rollovers. The ground can
give way, the tractor will lose support and roll over. When
conditions require operation on steep slopes, always head
down slopes and travel backwards up slopes. This will place
the tractor in a more stable position and reduce rollover
risks.
- Hitch
only to a drawbar. Many accidents occur when loads are hitched
to the axle housing or other parts of the tractor. If you
have a three-point hitch on your tractor, use it only with
implements designed for a three-point hitch.
If you attach
implements to something higher than a drawbar, you can cause
the tractor to roll over.
In
1985, tractor manufacturers adopted a voluntary standard to
sell all tractors with ROPS in place. All new tractors are equipped
at the factory with ROPS. The ROPS may be part of the cab structure
and may not be visible, but the protection will be there.
Tractors
made more than 40 years ago without advances in safety technology
are operational today. It is estimated that less than one-third
of the 4.4 million tractors used for agricultural purposes
have ROPS. Older tractors often are used in situations typically
associated with tractor rollover accidents, such as mowing
the road ditch area, using a front-end loader, and hauling
fallen trees.
Older
tractors can be retrofitted with rollover protective structures.
Check with your local dealer or Extension office. Extension
staff have access to a book compiled by the National Farm Medicine
Center in Wisconsin that lists manufacturers, models, and approximate
costs of obtaining retrofit ROPS for tractors. Retrofitting
can pose a difficult decision because its cost for an older
tractor can exceed the machine's actual value. However, the
true cost is in the lives that could be saved.
This
publication covers only some aspects of farm safety. Other
fact sheets in the Safe Farm series are available at any ISU
Extension county office. Ask for:
- Extra
Riders Mean Extra Dangers, Pm-1518c;
- Farm
Equipment Safety on Iowa Roads, EDC-64;
- Reduce
Risks Around Big Round Bales, Pm-1518g;
- Safety
on Iowa Roads: Sharing the Road with Farm Vehicles, Pm-1629,
and
- Use
SMV Signs for Your Safety, Pm-1265j.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
Issued
in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May
8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Nolan R. Hartwig, interim director, Cooperative
Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology,
Ames. Iowa . . . and justice for all The Iowa Cooperative
Extension Service's programs and policies are consistent with
pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination.
Many materials can be made available in alternative formats
for ADA clients. Safe Farm is an Iowa State University Extension
project helping to make Iowa farms a safer place to work and
live. File: Health and Safety 2-2 Printed on recycled paper
with soy ink Check the World Wide Web at: http://www.abe.iastate.edu
for more safety information.
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