Transcript FARM SAFETY DR. JESSE LaPRADE ENVIRONMENTAL AND FARM

Compact Tractor Safety
Jesse LaPrade
Extension Environmental and Safety Specialist
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University
Compact Tractor Safety
A compact tractor is between 20 and 40 horsepower.
Tractor safety is important because tractor incidents
in agriculture result in more than 300 fatalities each
year nationwide and from 4 to 8 in Alabama. Tractor
operations result in more injuries and fatalities than
any other single agricultural operation in every state
in the United States. The majority of these incidents
can be avoided.
Overturns are the number one cause of tractor
fatalities in the United States. and more than half of
all recorded in Alabama.
Categories of tractor-related injuries and fatalities:
1. Overturns—To one side and front to back
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Runovers—By a tractor or implements
Falls
Hitching errors
Power take-off (PTO) entanglements
Collisions with motor vehicles
How each category can be avoided:
1. Overturns are the number one cause of tractor fatalities in the U.S. and more
than half of all recorded in Alabama.
Rollover Protection Structures
A ROPS will prevent most injuries that result in tractor upsets.
There are three types of ROPS:
1. Two-post ROPS
2. Foldable ROPS to work in special applications,
greenhouse, low-growing trees, etc.
3. ROPS cab
ROPS Saves Lives!
John Deere designed ROPS in the 1960s. Tractors
manufactured after October 1976 must be equipped with ROPS
and a seat belt.
A rollover without ROPS results in a 25 percent survival rate of
the tractor operator.
A rollover with ROPS and seatbelt results in a 95 percent
chance of no injury to the operator.
Most tractors can be equipped with ROPS as an aftermarket
accommodation. Get a list of ROPS manufacturers and tractors
their products fit by calling the National Farm Medicine Center
in Marshville, Wisconsin at (800) 662-6900 or access the guide
online at http://www.marshmed.org/nfmcl.
Rollovers Can Kill!
Upsets happen fast.
In a backwards tip, the tractor can be upside down in
less than 1.50 seconds and can reach “the point of
no return” in 0.75 second. A rollover to one side can
occur in less than 1.0 second. Add the time it takes
to push in the clutch and you can see why rollovers
happen so frequently.
Causes of rollover to the rear (front to back):
*
*
•
•
Leverage on the drawbar or hitch
Rear-axle torque
Centrifugal force
Gravity
How to Prevent Rollovers
Preventing rollovers to the rear:
1. Hitch loads only to the drawbar. Keep the drawbar at
or below the rear wheel axle.
2. Use front end weights.
3. Start forward motion slowly.
4. Change speeds gradually.
5. Go up hills in reverse and go forward down hills.
Sudden braking or clutching while backing down a hill
can cause an upset. Pulling heavy loads uphill can
result in an upset.
6. Tractors stuck in mud should be backed out to avoid
an upset.
Side Rollovers Are More Common
Causes of rollovers to the side:
•
Leverage on the drawbar or hitch
•
Real axle torque
*
Centrifugal force
*
Gravity
Preventing rollovers to the side:
1. Choose as wide a rear wheelbase as possible.
2. Turn slowly and turn wide (when practical).
Additional Safety Tips
1.
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4.
5.
6.
7.
Watch for holes and bumps in the terrain.
Lock brake coupler when transporting a tractor (at higher
speeds).
Stay back from a ditch or ravine the same distance as the
depth of the ditch.
Allow NO RIDERS on tractors or implements at any time.
Never start a tractor by bypassing (shorting across starter
terminals).
Never approach an operating tractor.
Keep children away from tractor and implements at all times.
Additional Safety Tips
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Keep the approach steps and platform clean and
dry to avoid a fall.
Do not store anything on the steps or platform.
Use handrails or handholds.
Face the tractor when mounting or dismounting.
Never jump from the tractor.
Be sure tractor is fully stopped and the brakes
locked on, the engine off, and key removed before
dismounting.
Only operate the tractor from the seat.
Implement Hitching Safety
1.
Never allow a helper that is assisting with implement hookup
to stand between the tractor and the implement when
backing toward the implement. Helpers should stand to the
side. The tractor operator should align the hitch, put the
tractor in park or forward gear before the helper steps in and
makes the attachment.
2.
Do not push or pull the tractor when not in the tractor
driver’s seat.
3.
Beware of load sensing three-point hitches. Set the control
lever to maintain a set hitch height and not for load sensing,
or attaching an implement may cause the hitch arms to raise
unexpectedly. Check your operator’s manual.
Beware of the PTO!
Power Take-off Entanglements:
When shields become damaged, modified, or
discarded, it poses a major safety hazard.
– Keep all PTO shields in place and in good
condition.
– Check that integral shields can rotate freely when
power is shut off.
– Never step across a rotating power shaft. Safety
devices could malfunction.
– Wear snug fitting clothing and short or restrained
hair, no necklaces or earrings, dangling scarfs,
drawstrings, or anything that can catch on
rotating components.
Public Highway Safety
Transporting Equipment on Public Highways:
– Must have a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) sign
clearly visible on the rear of the tractor and/or
implement between your load and the motorist.
– See the ALFA Web site for full regulations in
transporting tractors and implements on public
highways.
– Consult “Safe Tractor Operations,” a fact sheet on
the Web at www.aces.edu/farmsafety, for
additional tractor considerations.