Dee Jepsen
Extension Associate
Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Farmers use tractors to help them do their work. They help farmers plant and take care of their crops. Tractors also help farmers feed their animals.
Tractors can be very dangerous, too. Sometimes the operators drive too fast or get too close to ditches. Tractors tip over easily. If the tractor rolls over, the driver can get hurt very badly.
To keep farmers safe, tractor companies have come up with something called ROPS. This stands for Roll-Over Protection Device. ROPS look like the big roll bars you see on trucks and jeeps. They are metal and are very strong. To make them work, farmers also have to wear a seat belt. That’s right, tractors have seat belts, too.
Farmers should always wear their seat belt when they are driving tractors with ROPS. They wear their seat belts to stay safe just like you do when you ride in a car. But remember, you should never ride on a tractor. There is only one seat, and that’s for the farmer.
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Tractors are not toys; adults realize this, but children do not. Children only see the “fun” aspect of riding on tractors and not the potential dangers. It is your responsibility as adults to teach children the dangers associated with all self-propelled equipment. Start by never allowing children nor adults to ride as extra passengers on tractors. Children, especially, lack the balance and strength necessary to hold on while riding over rough terrain. By adopting the “one seat one rider policy” you can teach your children that tractors are to be respected and used predominately for their main purpose — farm work. This policy should apply to all self-propelled equipment, including equipment with cabs. Machinery cabs establish a false sense of security. There have been instances where windows and doors of cabs have popped open and children have fallen to their deaths. Riding lawn mowers are another type of self-propelled equipment and should be treated just like their larger, more powerful counterparts. Taking just a few moments now to educate your children could save you hours of heartbreak in the future. |
Sources: Murphy, D. (1992). Safety and Health for Production Agriculture. MI: St. Joseph.
Reviewed by: Dr. Thomas L. Bean, State Safety Leader; Richard Stowell, Extension, Agricultural Engineer; Jim Elder, 4-H, Youth & Community Development; Kristen Henne, age 6.
Acknowledgement: The author wishes to thank Kristi Kress for her contributions to this publication. Kristi is an Agricultural Communications major at The Ohio State University.
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