Review of Intervention Research - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 101

Tractor Fatalities
In the case of tractor fatalities, primary research emphasis has been on the
development and evaluation of rollover protection structures (ROPS). Intramural
projects focusing on ROPS were conducted by personnel in the Division of Safety
Research, including New Technology to Increase ROPS Use on Tractors, Develop-
ment of Automatic ROPS, Development of Automatic ROPS Overturn Sensor,
and Commercialization of a Cost-Effective ROPS (CROPS) Design. Cooperative
agreement research focusing on tractor interventions was conducted through the
Community Partners for Healthy Farming Intervention Research, which sup-
ported such projects as the Kentucky ROPS programs (I and II) and Electronic
Tractor and Machinery Safety Training Material for Youth. The Ag Centers also
contributed resources to the development of interventions to prevent tractor and
equipment injuries; projects included ROPS Design and Testing for Agricultural
Vehicles (High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Safety and Health),
Cost-Effectiveness of Promoting Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) and Seat
Belts on Family Farm Tractors (Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and
Injury Prevention), Tractor Safety Program (The Northeast Center for Agricul-
tural and Occupational Health), an Audiovisual Approach to Train WV Farmers
on Prevention Effectiveness of ROPS in Reducing Traumatic Injury (Great Lakes
Center for Agricultural Safety and Health), Tractor Risk Abatement and Control
(TRAC-SAFE) (Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health), and Youth, Tractors,
and Policy (National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and
Safety). In addition, a National Agricultural Tractor Initiative involving a collabo-
ration of all the Ag Centers and the National Children's Center began in 2005; its
goals are to establish incentives to retire older tractors or retrofit them with ROPS,
increase the use and maintenance of preventive and protective technologies, mount
a social marketing campaign aimed at safer tractor use, and build private-sector
and legislative support.
Fishing Vessel Fatalities
Intervention research related to fishing vessel fatalities has been the focus of
several intramural and extramural projects, including Commercial Fishing Safety
Training in Alaska: 1993-2006, Injury Prevention in the Commercial Fishing Indus-
try (at the Alaska Field Station, AFS), Deck Safety for Commercial Fishing Vessels
(AFS), and Occupational Injury Prevention in Alaska (AFS).