Proposed Design Modifications to Reduce Risk of Operating Rotary Field Mowers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Piercy LR ; Shearer SA ; Wells LG ; White, Kathy L.
• Description:
  The primary objective of this project was to reduce risk of injury associated with operating a rotary mower driven by a tractor power take-off (PTO) by developing and evaluating design improvements and determining their economic feasibility. Researchers have concluded that alteration of machinery design has a greater impact on the reduction of accidents than safety training. Implementation of an Operator Presence Sensing System (OPSS) and removal of the PTO are the two injury-reducing, engineering modifications evaluated by this research. Hydraulic power allows this to occur by providing dynamic braking, few moving parts (removal of the PTO), and controllable power. A hydraulic circuit was developed to power the mower and to enable an OPSS. Tractor hydraulics were simulated using a hydraulic training bench. Two mower configurations were tested: 6.55 cm3 rev(-1) (0.4 in.3 rev(-1)) displacement motor with a 0.748 kg blade and 47.5 cm3 rev(-1) (2.9 in.3 rev(-1)) displacement motor with a 9.4 kg blade. A PTO-driven rotary mower was not used to test the circuit due to spatial and safety limitations of the hydraulic training bench. Results from the first mower configuration verified the concepts behind the hydraulic circuit. The second configuration verified the OPSS and indicated the applicability of the circuit to a rotary mower. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Automobiles Education Environment Environmental Exposure Environmental Health Environmental Pollution Ergonomics Farmers Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Stress, Psychological

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-machinery Agricultural-processes Agricultural-workers Author Keywords: Agricultural Safety Deadman Controls Environmental-engineering Environmental-exposure Environmental-factors Environmental-hazards Environmental-health Environmental-protection Environmental-stress Environmental-technology Motor-vehicles Mower Safety Rotary Mowers Safety-climate Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Safety-personnel Safety-practices Safety-programs

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• ISSN:
  1074-7583
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  249-259
• Volume:
  6
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034570
• Citation:
  J Agric Saf Health 2000 Nov; 6(4):249-259
• Contact Point Address:
  K. L. White, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0276
• Email:
  lwells@bae.uky.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9c9b2d08a598ee0afbcc0a9f51760fe832aab8128f2b836f32d9eab8b772b844cd84fa34c4dc4d327377d8e661c39c6881947a952661eacaf5fe3d065b13c5c3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186732/cdc_186732_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 83.22 KB ]