By Doug Graves

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Farmers in the U.S. are more likely to be killed using tractors than any other piece of farm equipment, and tractor rollovers are the leading cause of these deaths.

According to the National Safety Council, approximately 26.7 out of every 100,000 American farmers die on the job. One in seven farmers involved in a tractor overturn is permanently disabled. The most frequent cause of these tractor mishaps are side and rear overturns (96 deaths per year). Eight percent of these deaths caused by rollovers happen to experienced farmers. The shock is that half of all U.S. tractors do not have rollover protection.

Realizing the need for better protection on the standard farm tractor, Pennsylvania legislators and farmers recently pushed for a funding program that could save many lives in their state. And this initiative has gained momentum and has reached other states.

According to Judd Michael, Nationwide Insurance professor of ag safety and health in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University, this Penn State-led program channels funds for tractor rollover protection structures from a three-year, $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Penn State’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is partnering with the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety to administer the initiative.

And not just in Pennsylvania. Farmers in other states can now get state reimbursement to pay for retrofitting their older tractors with life-saving rollover protection structures – often referred to as ROPS – through the National ROPS Rebate Program.

ROPS are metal bars, frames or crush-proof cabs on tractors and other farm equipment designed to provide a safety zone for an operator in the event of a rollover or overturn. Since 1985, a national voluntary standard has made ROPS standard equipment on all new tractors. Retrofits are available for many older tractors but can be prohibitively expensive. Frames for ROPS retrofit must pass static or dynamic crush tests to ensure ability to withstand loads and impact.

The ROPS Rebate Program was launched in New York in 2006 as a way to help farmers install rollover protective structures on any tractor without one. In just 13 years, more than 3,150 tractors have been retrofitted in 17 states, most without supportive funding. But today, funding is available and rapidly spreading to other states.

Farmers in Pennsylvania, for example, are eligible for a 70 percent reimbursement through the Penn State program for the average $1,200 cost of the ROPS, with a $500 cap on their out-of-pocket costs. There is a $500 cap in Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Wisconsin as well. The exact rebate scheme varies slightly from state to state.

Through the National ROPS Rebate Program, the average out-of-pocket expense for a ROPS kit is $391. The National Tractor Safety Coalition is working to ensure funding across the U.S.

“Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death on farms, greatly contributing to the occupational fatality rate for farmers that is 800 percent higher than other industries,” Michael said. “Seven out of 10 farms go out of business within five years of a tractor-overturn fatality. There were 29 Pennsylvania farmers who died during the 2015-2021 period from rollovers that did not have a ROPS device.”

ROPS are 99 percent effective in preventing injury or death in the event of a tractor overturn when used with a seatbelt, Michael said.

Roll guards for tractors were sold by distributors of some tractor manufacturers as early as the 1950s. It was not until 1966 and 1967 that U.S. tractor manufacturers began offering protective roll guards as optional equipment with their tractors. As of 1986, the National Safety Council estimated that only one-third of all tractors in use in the country had roll bars.

Roll bars are seldom retrofitted onto older tractors. This is because the owners of older tractors do not perceive enough danger to themselves to justify the expense. According to a press release from the National Safety Council “operators regard themselves as safe drivers who know how to avoid rollovers.”

For more information, call the National ROPS Rebate Program at 877-767-7748, or go to ropsr4u.org and click on your state to see the amount of rebates on Rollbar Retrofits. The exact rebate amount will vary by state.