Farming is a cherished way of life for more than 346,000 Canadians.
It is also a profession with one of the highest risks of on-the-job injury and death.
Each year, an average of 115 people are killed and another 1,500 are seriously injured by farm-related accidents in Canada. Countless minor injuries are never reported.
Working with tractors and other self-propelled equipment is the leading cause of death and injury.
Studies by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program indicate that tractor rollovers cause one in five work-related farm fatalities.
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While rollovers are the number one farm-related killer, the low injury rating associated with rollovers indicates that few people survive them.
Most backwards rollovers are caused by towing heavy loads, such as disabled vehicles, or by pulling implements, stumps or logs using a tow chain attached to a tractor.
Most sideways rollovers are a result of driving too close to a ditch.
This often occurs along roads as the operator is trying to allow traffic to pass.
These incidents are often a result of operator carelessness.
Rollover fatalities are preventable but they continue to occur despite the fact that rollover protective structures, or ROPS, are available as retrofits for virtually every tractor manufactured.
CAISP studies indicate that senior farmers are more likely to use older tractors that don’t have ROPS or seatbelts.
The cost of retrofitting an older tractor can pose a difficult decision because the cost of installation can exceed the machine’s value.
However, the cost of not having ROPS can be much higher.
Farmers are urged to check with local implement dealers for more information about retrofitting ROPS.
“Safety is something that should never be compromised,” said Marcel Hacault, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.
“Accidents can happen in an instant, but regrets can last forever.”
