NEWS SERVICE -- 6/1/89

TRACTOR FATALITIES CAN BE PREVENTED

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Farming can be fatal. According to figures from the National Safety Council, the death rate for agricultural workers is 52 for every 100,000 workers -- five times greater than all other industries averaged together. Death certificates and newspaper clippings analyzed by Penn State researchers indicate that tractor-related fatalities account for nearly 50 percent of all farm worker fatalities recorded in Pennsylvania since 1980.

A survey conducted by Dr. Dennis Murphy, associate professor of agricultural engineering, and Michael A. Huizinga, a graduate student in agricultural engineering, show just how dangerous tractor accidents can be. While tractors account for only 5 percent of the injuries received on farms, injuries resulting from tractor accidents are the most severe.

" We think most cases of rollover end in fatalities, even though we're just beginning to see evidence of this," says Murphy.

Ninety percent of tractor fatalities can be prevented, according to Murphy, but these preventive measures are rarely used. "Farmers as a group tend to accept risk as a part of farming," Murphy says. "Or they think accidents are not going to happen to them. Perhaps they've operated a tractor for years without an accident."

The results of Murphy and Huizinga's research show that the vast majority of tractors on Pennsylvania farms are not equipped with a rollover protection structure or a cab with rollover protection. About 70 percent of all tractor-related fatalities involve a rollover. Another 25 percent are related to extra riders and tractor operators falling off moving tractors. Both of these types of accidents could be reduced with the use of tractor cabs, according to Murphy.

Murphy stresses the need for rollover protection. "Cabs with the doors shut are the safest way to go. Not only do they protect if a rollover happens, but they also protect drivers and any riders from being bounced out of seats."

Although cabs provide more protection for everyone, Murphy discourages allowing riders. "There is neither a safe nor convenient place for an extra rider to be. Kids can bump controls or a rider can get in the way of controls, causing even more accidents."

The move to complete rollover protection has been slow. In 1976 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration declared that employees operating farm equipment must be provided rollover protection. This was amended in 1977 to exclude farms with less than 11 employees, eliminating the need for compliance for 90 percent of agricultural operations in the country.

In 1985 tractor manufacturers voluntarily began making rollover protection standard equipment. However, there are few of these tractors on farms. Murphy's survey shows that only 62 percent of these newer tractors have rollover protection. Overall, fewer than 20 percent of all tractors in Pennsylvania have rollover protection.

"Most farmers buy used tractors," says Murphy, "which limits the number of 1985 and newer models on farms. In addition, dealers can take the cab off new tractors if farmers claim 'special circumstances,' like orchard or low clearance use."

In 1987, Murphy and Huizinga conducted the state-wide stratified random mail survey of 1200 farms on which the information is based. Eight hundred and twenty responses were received, a 68 percent return rate. These surveys were designed to gather information on farm injuries and related tractor safety issues. Earlier studies showed that in 1975, 14.9 percent of farms had one injury. Murphy and Huizinga discovered that in 1987 there were 13.3 injuries per 100 farms. The decline rate is so slight that it is not considered significant.

Despite design changes made to tractors and other farm machinery by agricultural engineers and manufacturers, farmers are still at great risk every day they do their job. "Getting farmers to realize that there don't have to be so many risks in farming is difficult," admits Murphy.

Source: Dr. Dennis Murphy, Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering Department of Agricultural Engineering

TRACTOR

תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתThe National Dairy Database (1992)תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת\NDB\OCCSAFE\TEXT1\1340תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת

%f TITLE;TRACTOR FATALITIES
%f COLLECTION;FARM AND OPERATOR SAFETY
%f ORIGIN;Pennsylvania
%f DATE_INCLUDED;June 1992