Farm tractor safety in Kentucky, 1995

Objective. Tractor rollovers are a major cause of farm injuries and fatalit ies. The authors used data from a statewide surveillance study to estimate the prevalence of safety features such as rollover protective structures, s eat belts, and power take-off shields on farm tractors in Kentucky. Methods. Using data from the Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Pro ject, the authors report on the prevalence oi farm tractor safety features by size of farm, by region of the state, by number of tractors per farm, an d by tractor age and estimate the prevalence of tractors equipped with roll over protection by region and for the state as a whole. Results. Of the estimated 85,446 family-owned farms in Kentucky with at lea st one tractor, an estimated 55.6%, or 47,515 farms, do not have a tractor equipped with a rollover protective structure, Few tractors that are IO yea rs old or older were found to be equipped with seat belts; no tractors that were more than 20 years old were equipped with seat belts, Conclusions. Kentucky, with an estimated 25 to 30 tractor-related fatalitie s each year, may contribute up to 20% of the total number of farm tractor f atalities in the nation. The overall prevalence of rollover protective stru ctures on tractors in Kentucky is lower than estimates for other states as reported in national survey data. The study's findings suggest the need to target smaller farms with one or two tractors for retrofitting of rollover protective structures and for tractor safety programs.