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In the past 20 years, tractor rollover accidents have killed hundreds of Canadian farm workers.
I’m going to tell you about three fatal rollovers that happened in B.C.
At a vineyard, a farmer was backing out from between the rows of grapes onto a road barely
wide enough to fit his tractor.
Next to the road was a steep embankment made up of loose, crumbly soil.
A mechanical inspection after the accident found that the tractor’s brakes weren’t
adjusted properly. When fully applied, they locked up the left rear wheel while the right
would continue to spin, causing the tractor to veer.
While reversing, the tractor likely veered at the edge of the embankment. The soil gave
way and the tractor slid sideways and then rolled over, crushing the farmer. The tractor
wasn’t equipped with a rollover protective structure or what is known as a ROPS.
A tractor operator was transporting a bin full of apples. As he drove down to the bottom
of a steep hill he turned sharply. The tractor overturned, killing the operator.
The factory-installed ROPS had been removed.
There had been a bumper crop of silage – so plentiful that it was piled 5 feet above the
storage bunker’s walls. A young worker was attempting to compress the air out of the
pile by driving a tractor back and forth on it. The tractor rolled sideways off the pile,
crushing the worker.
The ROPS had been removed to facilitate the tractor’s entry into low-entry barns. Unfortunately,
it wasn’t reinstalled when a new barn with taller access was built.
Except for a few special cases, all agricultural tractors built after January 1, 1985 are required
to have a ROPS.
And, because of the danger, all tractors old or new require a ROPS if operated:
on slopes greater than 20 percent, or on roadways that are less than twice the width
of the tractor and have an edge or shoulder with a slope
that would allow a rollover.
Always wear seat belts on tractors with ROPS. They keep you in the survival zone.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, experienced or inexperienced. If you
drive a tractor that doesn’t have a rollover protective structure and it rolls over, there’s
a good chance you will die.
The statistics say it best:
Rollover with no ROPS:
75% chance of dying
Rollover with ROPS and wearing a seatbelt:
99% chance of surviving!
Stay safe: Use a ROPS along with a seat belt.