Kentucky Injury Prevention
and Research Center Publicaions

Personalizing the Risks and Costs of Tractor Overturns and Motivating Farmers' Acquisition of ROPS

Henry P. Cole, Larry R. Piercy, Tim Struttmann, Vickie Brandt, Joan Muehlbauer

Proceedings of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Agricultural Heath and Safety Conference. Morgantown, WV; Jul 1997

Only about 30% of Kentucky tractors are equipped with ROPS. An additional 26% of Kentucky farm tractors manufactured after 1975 could be retro fitted with ROPS and seat belts. Approximately 43% of Kentucky farm tractors may be too old to be retro fitted with ROPS.

In a recent survey of a random sample 1,648 farmers in four central Kentucky countries, 76% reported that within the last year they had not thought about getting a ROPS on a tractor, and 90% reported they had made no effort to obtain a ROPS. Yet 77% of these same farmers reported that during a tractor overturn they believed a ROPS and a fastened set belt prevents the operator from being injured or killed. Among the 43% of the 1,648 farms that reported having at least one ROPS-equipped tractor, 75% of the principal operators reported they never wear the seat belt.

A community education program is underway to (1) increase awareness of the long-term probability of a catastrophic injury resulting from rollovers of non-ROPS protected tractors, (2) increase awareness of the large economic and personal costs that result from tractor rollover injuries and fatalities, (3) decrease the perceived cost of acquiring ROPS, (4) develop knowledge and attitudes that support attempts to acquire ROPS, (5) promote behavior of retrofitting of replacing tractors that don't have ROPS, and (6) increase consistent use of seat belts on ROPS tractors and a "no extra riders" policy on all tractors. The community education program consists of multiple sets of short and motivating media messages, case materials, and problem-solving exercises presented in a variety of formats and organized around these six topics. In a controlled study in each of two treatment counties, program materials are being distributed by influential community leaders who normally provide business and other services to farmers.


Comments to Mark Schneider, Last Modified: July 9, 2001 by JP
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