Forces Required to Operate Controls on Farm Tractors: Implications for Young Operators

Details

• Personal Author:
  Berg RL ; Chang JH ; Fathallah FA ; Marlenga B ; Pickett W
• Description:
  Farm tractors account for the majority of fatal injuries to adolescents working in agriculture and therefore remain a leading occupational priority. The question of whether these injuries occur because adolescents are assigned tractor jobs beyond their physical capabilities has not been answered. The purpose of this study was to estimate the activation forces required to operate controls on 40 tractors in common use in the US and compare them with existing estimates of physical strength for children of varying ages and with recommended ergonomic force limits for repeatedly engaging controls. Activation forces for steering, brakes and clutch were measured on each tractor. The main study finding was that the activation forces required to operate tractors typically exceeded the physical abilities of most children aged 13 to 17 years. This raises serious questions about the ability of children to safely operate tractors in common use on US farms. This study provides an ergonomic approach for evaluating the potential mismatch between young people's strength capabilities and forces required in operating farm tractors. This approach could be used in similar situations where adolescents may operate vehicles (e.g. all-terrain vehicles), machinery or other mechanical devices requiring activation of levers and controls. Study findings potentially inform the establishment of occupational policies surrounding tractor operation by young people. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Agriculture Automobiles Ergonomics Farmers Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Age-factors Agricultural-industry Agricultural-machinery Agricultural-workers Body-mechanics Drivers Force Injuries Injury-prevention Musculoskeletal-system Safety-climate Safety-education Safety-practices Tractors

  More +
• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034581
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2008 Jul; 51(7):1096-1108
• Email:
  fathallah@libertymutual.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Davis
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030801
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20070731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4aa52531133c86a7d8869bc497e11611f1c1d159adf0835459fa1da8953bd717754e28d2fa946a01c9d47952bc300b44b67942b1a3ef93cbd2ed0041fb9844b4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186738/cdc_186738_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.09 MB ]