Background Farm tractor rollovers are associated with a major proportion of injuries and deaths in agricultural business. Rollover protective structures (ROPS) and drivers using seat belts have been proven to reduce 99% of deaths when tractors overturns occur. Tractors equipped with ROPS and driver's restraining system have been available for many years, but these safety devices are missing on most of the tractors previously manufactured. Purpose To build a general understanding on ROPS retrofitting for future actions. Method Experts in tractor safety from different countries reported the different measures and technical solutions proposed in their countries to improve or enforce the adoption of retrofitting ROPS on older tractors. Findings In USA by 1985 tractors manufacturers were voluntarily making ROPS as standard component of tractor design, while in some European countries ROPS were mandatory on new standard tractors since 1976 in France, 1977 in Italy and 1980 in Spain. In the following years additional common European regulations enforced ROPS on "narrow" tractors. Both in USA and some European Union countries national Occupational, Safety and Health agencies required pre-ROPS tractors to be fitted with a protective structure. In USA the regulation does not apply to self employed farmers and ROPS retrofitting is voluntary, and has been encouraged with safety education, financial incentives, and dissemination of cost-effective ROPS, community awareness campaigns, and social marketing initiatives supported at different levels. In European Union countries all tractors used in farms must be equipped with a ROPS, regardless of their age or their users. In addition it is forbidden to sell a tractor in use without ROPS. Technical specifications for ROPS retrofitting are available as design and calculation software and guidelines with technical description of ROPS to retrofit specific model of tractors. In Japan ROPS has been mandatory on new tractors in National Safety Test from 1991, and there is not any tractors ROPS retrofitting initiative, even though 90 people a year die in accidents related with rollover. Since 2000, ROPS are mandatory on tractors in Turkey, including those manufactured before 2000. Despite this, ROPS usage is very limited and not strictly enforced.
Rollover protective structure (ROPS) retrofitting on agricultural tractors: same goal, different approaches in various countries.
Cavallo Eugenio;
2013
Abstract
Background Farm tractor rollovers are associated with a major proportion of injuries and deaths in agricultural business. Rollover protective structures (ROPS) and drivers using seat belts have been proven to reduce 99% of deaths when tractors overturns occur. Tractors equipped with ROPS and driver's restraining system have been available for many years, but these safety devices are missing on most of the tractors previously manufactured. Purpose To build a general understanding on ROPS retrofitting for future actions. Method Experts in tractor safety from different countries reported the different measures and technical solutions proposed in their countries to improve or enforce the adoption of retrofitting ROPS on older tractors. Findings In USA by 1985 tractors manufacturers were voluntarily making ROPS as standard component of tractor design, while in some European countries ROPS were mandatory on new standard tractors since 1976 in France, 1977 in Italy and 1980 in Spain. In the following years additional common European regulations enforced ROPS on "narrow" tractors. Both in USA and some European Union countries national Occupational, Safety and Health agencies required pre-ROPS tractors to be fitted with a protective structure. In USA the regulation does not apply to self employed farmers and ROPS retrofitting is voluntary, and has been encouraged with safety education, financial incentives, and dissemination of cost-effective ROPS, community awareness campaigns, and social marketing initiatives supported at different levels. In European Union countries all tractors used in farms must be equipped with a ROPS, regardless of their age or their users. In addition it is forbidden to sell a tractor in use without ROPS. Technical specifications for ROPS retrofitting are available as design and calculation software and guidelines with technical description of ROPS to retrofit specific model of tractors. In Japan ROPS has been mandatory on new tractors in National Safety Test from 1991, and there is not any tractors ROPS retrofitting initiative, even though 90 people a year die in accidents related with rollover. Since 2000, ROPS are mandatory on tractors in Turkey, including those manufactured before 2000. Despite this, ROPS usage is very limited and not strictly enforced.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
