Most Dangerous Farming Equipment — Tractors
According to the International Labor Organization, more than half of the 335,000 workplace fatalities around the globe occur in agriculture, making farming one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. In 2012, 374 farmers died in the US alone.
Farming may be one of the oldest professions, but new mechanical technology also makes it deadly. Many farming accidents happen while working with dangerous equipment like tractors. Tractor deaths claimed 125 lives in the US alone. Overturned tractors is the number one cause of serious injury to farmers. This normally happens when the tractor hits a slope with slippery or rough terrain causing it to rollover. Pulling a heavy load can compound the danger by causing poor equilibrium.
Tractor Dangers
Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) became standard in the US along with safety belts. Yet, despite the safety measures, tractor deaths keep climbing. The reason for this is many farms still use older tractors without rollover bars. Farmers also remove ROPS since the bars make it hard to maneuver tractors into sheds and other farm buildings. Only 60% of the 4.6 million tractors in the US have ROPS.
In order for ROPs to protect the 60% of farmers who use it, he or she needs to use the provided safety belt. If not, they can slip past the roll bar and into harm’s way. Unfortunately, most farmers neglect to buckle their seat belt, or they have and the belt malfunctioned.
Contact Us
If you have been disabled by a farm accident, if one of your family members has been disabled on the job, or if you have lost wages due to a farm-work-related disability, you may be entitled to compensation−including payments over and above Worker’s Compensation. For a free and totally confidential consultation, contact the Farm Injury Resource Center. No matter what state you live in, your employment status or your nationality, we can help.