Generating Structural and Financial Support for Tractor Retrofitting Initiatives

Details

• Personal Author:
  Sorensen JA
• Description:
  Overview: Agricultural workers face tremendous risks every day. The longstanding leading cause of fatal injuries on farms is tractor overturns; a problem that can be addressed through the use of roll-over protective structures (ROPS). Despite the success of ROPS in protecting farmers, many are hesitant to retrofit. Previous studies have indicated that cost, the amount of time it takes to find the correct kit, and a view that rollovers will not happen to experienced farmers are all prominent barriers preventing farmers from retrofitting their tractors. In 2006, the Northeast Center (NEC) implemented a ROPS rebate program to address these issues. The social marketing campaign promoted the use of ROPS, provided a toll-free hotline and assistance finding the correct kit, and most importantly, a rebate to farmers who retrofitted. Wildly successful, this program expanded into four additional states: Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. In order to expand this program further, and support farmers throughout the United States, additional support is needed. This project served to identify and rally stakeholders that could contribute to a national initiative. Methods: In order to identify stakeholders for a national initiative, a social networking analysis was completed. This process began by surveying knowledgeable informants about the organizations that they believed could support a national program. Following this survey, all listed stakeholders were surveyed to identify their connections with other organizations, whether involving safety initiatives or other projects. Once a network map was created, interviews began to identify methods in which organizations could be encouraged to participate in a ROPS program. Finding that organizations were already interested, but lacked the funds and resources to pull a program together, a Whole System in the Room (WSR) collaborative action planning workshop was organized to work toward a national program. Results: Fifty individuals, representing nine different sectors, attended the WSR retreat. During this workshop, six common ground areas were identified and stakeholders collectively identified nearly 100 short- and long-term goals that could be worked on in order to contribute to the implementation of a national ROPS program. In addition to making commitments, participants also formed task forces to ensure that they are completed on time. Conclusions: Agricultural stakeholders are ready to work together to introduce a national ROPS program to farmers across the country. Despite this, resources, especially funding, are currently missing from this picture, making it difficult to proceed. This project focused on improving both the quantity and quality of relationships between stakeholders, which are important tasks in moving forward. Improvements in Worker Safety: While this project was an exploration of the networks in place currently, it has led to a large group of stakeholders collectively working to implement a national ROPS program. Once successfully implemented, an increased number of farmers will be able to retrofit their tractors. Over time, this will significantly reduce the fatality rate among agricultural workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Machinery Fatalities Injuries Injury Prevention Rollover Protective Structures ROPS Social Marketing Tractors
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  New Hampshire ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania ; Vermont ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-39
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055846
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-101105
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-009796, 2014 Oct; :1-39
• Contact Point Address:
  Julie A. Sorensen, PhD, Director of the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Bassett Healthcare Network/Northeast Center, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, NY, 13326
• Email:
  julie.sorensen@bassett.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20140831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:43929a70c7d46911c88d365ae07e62dd850895ec1e2c1a797e2c1fed657a74be6bcc58663f6488af096b6d831015588c63c077e12756f4df75abfbd356017030
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218869/cdc_218869_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.27 MB ]