Tractor Rollovers and Run Overs

1. Tractor Rollovers and Run Overs Can you prevent one on your farm?

2. Outline • Background • Research • Are accidents “accidental?” • Accident/incident analysis • Case studies • Assess your knowledge base • Assess your personal risk profile

3. Background Tractor rollovers and run overs: • Are not common accidents. • Have a high potential for causing death or disabling injury when they do occur. • Prevention efforts have a high “pay back” value.

4. Research The Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program (CAISP) reports that tractor rollovers and run overs result in: • 30 deaths • 75 hospitalized injuries on Canadian farms on average, every year.

5. Are accidents “accidental”? • Accidents viewed as: • “freak events” • result of “carelessness” • Research has shown that accidents: • have identifiable risk factors • are predictable • are preventable • Terminology change: • “incidents”

6. Accident/incident analysis • Immediate cause • Possible contributing factors • Human • Mechanical • Environmental • Basic, “systemic” cause • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

7. Case studies • Modeled on tractor fatalities that occurred on Canadian farms from 1990 – 1996. • Basic circumstances of an actual incident are depicted. • Name of victim, date and location of incident, tractor make/model are fictitious.

8. Case study 1 • Orville, age 69 • Died October 4, 1990 • Incident: Ground-starting tractor, run over, crushed.

9. Case study 1: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

10. Case study 2 • Marc, age 18 • Died August 28, 1995 • Incident: Towing heavy load downhill lost control of tractor, sideways rollover, crushed.

11. Case study 2: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

12. Case study 3 • George, age 49 • Died September 28, 1996 • Incident: Fell off tractor, run over.

13. Case study 3: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

14. Case study 4 • Carl, age 3 • Died June 25, 1993 • Incident: Blind runover by lawn tractor.

15. Case study 4: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

16. Case study 5 • Gerry, age 53 • Died July 15, 1992 • Incident: Knocked off tractor by a tree branch, run over.

17. Case study 5: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

18. Case study 6 • Luis, age 25 • Died April 30, 1994 • Incident: Sideways tractor rollover off ramp, crushed.

19. Case study 6: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

20. Case study 7 • Donna, age 38 • Died March 28, 1994 • Incident: Front end loader imbalance, backward tractor rollover, drowned.

21. Case study 7: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

22. Case study 8 • Gilles, age 12 • Died April 5, 1991 • Incident: Using tractor to tow out stuck vehicle, backward rollover, crushed.

23. Case study 8: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

24. Case study 9 • Ashley, age 5 • Died May 23, 1992 • Incident: Extra rider fell from tractor cab, run over.

25. Case study 9: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

26. Case study 10 • Don, age 31 • Died May 4, 1995 • Incident: Dismounted running tractor, run over.

27. Case study 10: Incident analysis • What was the immediate cause of the incident? • What were possible contributing factors? • What one thing could prevent a similar incident?

28. Overall quiz score • With each case study, you tested your knowledge about safe tractor operation by answering quiz questions. • Now add up your scores for the ten quizzes for an overall quiz score. = / 50

29. Personal Risk Profile • Determining factors: • Knowledge (quiz score) • Sex, age • Province of residence • Tractor operation hours/year • Condition of tractor • Condition of operator • Work practices • Safety perceptions

30. Personal Risk Profile Scoring • 85 – 100%RISK: LOW “Stay alert and keep up the good work” • 70 – 84%RISK: LOWER THAN AVERAGE, BUT CAN BE IMPROVED “Can you afford to risk your life or the life of someone else?” • 50 – 69%RISK: SIGNIFICANT “You are taking a gamble with your life or the life of someone else.” • < 50% RISK: HIGH “You are endangering your life or the life of someone else.”

31. Conclusion • It takes more than luck to prevent a tractor rollover or run over. • But you can do it!

32. Program Partners • Centre for Agricultural Medicine University of Saskatchewan • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada • Canadian Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Rural Health