Out of Tragedy Comes Reminder to Put Tractor Safety First

(ARA) - A recent tractor accident in Virginia left one father of four dead. Investigators say the man was trying to remove a tree when his tractor flipped on top of him. Sadly, his 12-year-old son was with him at the time of the accident.

According to fire and rescue officials on the scene, the tractor did not have a roll bar, which is designed to protect tractor operators in this type of roll-over accident. Unfortunately, officials say this type of tragedy happens all too frequently.

According to the National Safety Council, more than half of all farm tractors are not equipped with a roll-over protective structure (ROPS). If ROPS and seat belts were added to older tractors that are not equipped with ROPS and seat belts, approximately 350 lives would be saved annually on U.S. farms and rural settings.

"Most tractor fatalities are caused by overturns," says Greg Embury, vice president of sales and marketing, Kubota Tractor Corporation. "Tractor drivers who operate their equipment without a roll-over protection structure are vulnerable if an accident occurs. And, even worse, serious rollover accidents that occur with no ROPS present can cause life-changing health problems or death. We encourage all tractor operators to put safety first and add a roll-over protection system to help prevent this type of heartbreaking tragedy from happening."

The Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety

If it sounds serious, it is. Kubota has developed the "Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety," not only for its customers but for anyone who comes in contact with a tractor. These important tractor "Ten Commandments" include:

1. Know your tractor, its implements and how they work. Read and understand the operator's manual before operating the equipment. Also, keep equipment in good working condition.

2. Use ROPS and a seat belt whenever and wherever applicable. Kubota has provided ROPS as standard equipment on new tractors since 1985 and recommends tractor operators with older models ask their local dealer about retro-fitting their machine with a ROPS.

3. Be familiar with your terrain and work area -- walk the area first to be sure and drive safely. Use special caution on slopes, slow down for all turns and stay off the highway whenever possible.

4. Never start an engine in a closed shed or garage. Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which is colorless, odorless and deadly.

5. Always keep your power take-off (PTO) properly shielded. Make it a habit to walk around your tractor and PTO driven implement -- never walk over, through or between the tractor and implement, particularly if either is running. An unguarded rotating shaft is very powerful and rotates with enough speed and strength to kill you.

6. Keep your hitches low and always on the drawbar. Otherwise, your tractor could be at risk of flipping over backwards.

7. Never get off a moving tractor or leave it with its engine running. Shut it down before leaving the seat. A runaway tractor can be extremely dangerous.

8. Never refuel while the engine is running or hot. Additionally, do not add coolant to the radiator while the engine is hot; hot coolant can erupt and scald.

9. Keep all children off and away from your tractor and its implements at all times. Children are generally attracted to tractors and the work they do, but a tractor's work is not child's play. While a child's disappointment is fleeting, your memory of his or her injury or death resulting from riding the tractor with you, or being too close, will last a lifetime.

10. Never be in a hurry or take chances with your tractor. Think safety first, then take your time and do it right.

"Everyone at Kubota -- and within the entire equipment industry -- wants the same thing and that is safety for our operators. We urge tractor and equipment drivers to take time for safety," says Embury. "After all, the life saved could be your own, or that of someone you love."

For more tractor safety information, visit www.kubota.com and click on the safety tab.

Courtesy of ARAcontent