By:
Tom Nordlie (352) 392-1773 x 278

Source:
Carol Lehtola CJLehtola@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1864 ext. 223

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tractor-related injuries – the No. 1 cause of farmwork deaths – often increase after hurricanes and other disasters because inexperienced people rent or borrow the vehicles to remove debris, says a University of Florida safety expert.

“When it comes to tractor safety, hurricane cleanup is no time for on-the- job training,” said Carol Lehtola, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “Operating a tractor is not like driving a car or a truck – it takes time to learn safe tractor operation.”

Tractor use is more dangerous after a storm because of wet, muddy conditions, she said. Also, operators may suffer from poor judgment and mental focus due to stress and lack of sleep.

In the United States, about 320 people die each year from tractor- related injuries, Lehtola said.

Experts have identified three types of tractor incidents most likely to result in death: tractor overturns, runovers of passengers or bystanders and motor vehicle collisions on public roadways, she said.

“These are all avoidable tragedies,” Lehtola said. “They demonstrate why tractor use shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

In tractor overturns, the vehicle tips sideways or flips backward, she said. Side overturns can happen when the tractor crosses a steep slope or makes a sharp turn on level ground.

“The average tractor has a high center of gravity, which reduces its stability,” Lehtola said. “Wet or muddy ground can complicate things, because the tires may slip unexpectedly.”

Rear overturns happen when the driver tries to move a heavy load attached to the rear of the tractor, she said. If the load doesn’t budge but the driver keeps accelerating, the tractor’s body may rotate up and back until it slams into the ground.

“Rear overturns are fatal to the driver 85 percent of the time,” Lehtola said. “Once the front wheels lift off the ground, the tractor can overturn in less than two seconds, meaning there’s little chance the driver can leap clear.”

Overturn injuries can be minimized if the tractor is equipped with a seat belt and a rollover protection structure, or ROPS, she said. Similar to an automobile roll bar, this structure protects the driver from being crushed under the tractor.

No special equipment is needed to keep bystanders from being run over by a tractor, just good judgment, Lehtola said. Anyone on the ground should use caution when approaching a tractor with its engine running. Drivers should never allow anyone to ride with them on a tractor, because the rider could fall to the ground and be crushed by a rear wheel.

“Also, if a driver will have limited visibility while using a tractor, it’s important to check the area for bystanders first,” she said.

Roadway collisions usually involve a motorist hitting a tractor from the rear or side, Lehtola said. In rear collisions, a driver doesn’t notice the tractor in time; side collisions happen when a vehicle behind the tractor starts to pass as the tractor turns left.

“It’s important to remember that these situations – the ones that most often kill people – can happen the very first time someone uses a tractor,” she said.

For homeowners who need serious hauling power to clear their property and have no experience with tractors, Lehtola has a simple answer – hire professionals to do the work.

“It’s not the solution people necessarily want to hear, but it’s the smart solution,” she said. “You’re not going to learn to use a tractor in an afternoon, and thinking otherwise is downright dangerous.”

For more information, see Lehtola’s brochure, “Tractor Safety for Disaster Recovery,” available at http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu/publ ications/STO- recovery-workers-bro.pdf.

-30-

0