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National agricultural tractor safety initiative.

Reynolds SJ; Buchan V; Douphrate D; Kelly K; Lamm D; Liu J; Rosecrance J

Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R25-OH-008542, 2010 Jun; :1-199

20042374

Fatalities from agricultural tractors are by far the leading cause of death and serious injury in agriculture in the United States. This is an unacceptable burden since technical solutions exist. The goal of this project was to complete and synthesize the knowledge base, test the initial design of a community-based social marketing plan, and build the capacity to mount a national public health campaign to reduce fatalities and injuries related to agricultural tractors in the U.S. This project involved unprecedented collaboration of all nine of the regional NIOSH Agricultural Centers, the National Agricultural Children's Center, and collaborators at NIOSH. The project components were divided into evidence-building aspects and stakeholder-building aspects. Project components that were funded included: 1. Lead Center; 2. Costs of Tractor Operator Injuries from Overturns and Highway Collisions; 3. Impact of Changes in ROPS Standards, Regulations and Technology on Future Tractor ROPS Availability; 4. Documentation of Acceptability and Procedures for Financial Incentives for Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) Retrofitting; 5. Designing Community-based Social Marketing Programs for Tractor Safety; 6. Communications and Partners. Three proposed components were not funded. A Leadership Council, including representatives from all of the collaborating NIOSH Agricultural Centers, coordinated and oversaw completion and synthesis of the projects. An important result was the creation of a productive, multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team to address this problem. The next step is to sustain this national campaign through regional demonstration projects, focused on key at-risk and high-risk populations. The success of this project is dependent on the availability of ROPS and a distribution system including manufactures and dealers; a ROPS incentive program; identification of funding sources: creation of compelling messages to enlist funders and policy makers; and tailoring of social marketing tools for regional needs. The emerging issue of importation of "grey market" tractors from foreign manufacturers that do not meet safety standards can be addressed in the short term. A Lead Center is essential to coordinate all of these activities and to engage partners through organizations such as the newly developed Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America.

Motor-vehicles; Injuries; Traumatic-injuries; Accidents; Injury-prevention; Accident-prevention; Tractors; Agricultural-industry; Agricultural-workers

20100617

Final Grant Report

Stephen.Reynolds@Colostate.edu

Grant

2010

Grant-Number-R25-OH-008542

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

TN; CO

Colorado State University - Ft. Collins