Why Bother with a ROPS Retrofit

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan State University
• Description:
  In Michigan, since 2001, there have been 21 tractor overturns to the side or rear that have resulted in the death of the tractor operator. None of the tractors involved in the overturns were equipped with a Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) and a seat belt. The use of ROPS and a seat belt keeps the operator in the protective zone and is 99.9% effective in preventing death or serious injury when a tractor overturns. Common ROP designs have manufacturer-designed and tested mounting plates and mounting points for structural integrity: 1) Two-post ROPS, with two upright posts (may be vertical or slightly tilted and may fold) mounted to the rear axle (vineyard or orchard tractors may have two-post ROPS mounted to a frame on each side of the tractor engine ahead of the operator). 2) Four-post ROPS with mounts both on the axles and on the frame ahead of the operator, or sometimes with all four posts mounted to the tops of design-reinforced flat-top rear fenders. 3) ROPS cab, where the cab structure is designed to act as the ROPS. ROPS do not prevent rollovers from occurring! A ROPS alone will not provide full protection to the operator when there is a tractor overturn. A seat belt must be used in combination with the ROPS to provide the highest degree of safety. Don't decide against a retrofit ROPS just because you doubt you will wear the seat belt; a ROPS without the seat belt is better than no ROPS at all. Homemade ROPS are not recommended because they may not be properly designed, built, or installed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Machinery Farm Workers Hazards Rollover Protective Structures ROPS Tractors
• Publisher:
  Michigan State University
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Lay Publication
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066684
• Citation:
  East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, 2020 Mar; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Why bother with a ROPS retrofit
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:874a6ff2e7f1db8c6434db86d2a6b49463100dec1caa35176c379338841f9dbf89392d805070809d5d5451c771926118bdd484aa6fa1bfb22fbdd2c1da32db01
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230988/cdc_230988_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 317.14 KB ]