Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health最新文献

This article presents data for agricultural work-related fatal injuries to non-working youth (> 18 years old) in Pennsylvania. Cases were identified from the Pennsylvania Farm Fatality (PA-FF) database for the period 2000-2018. The circumstances of the death in each incident were reviewed from news clippings, death certificates, and other reports available to determine the victim's status as a bystander, passenger, or other non-working child. The study identified 69 agricultural work-related fatalities to non-working youth in Pennsylvania. Incidents were coded as non-working accomplice (26), non-working accomplice extra rider (14), non-working attendant (25), and ambiguous (4). Fatalities to children > 5 years old accounted for 74% of the non-working youth fatalities, and most (75%) of the victims were male. Plain Sect community members (Anabaptists) comprised 78% of the cases. Children contribute significantly to the overall burden of agricultural work-related fatal injuries in Pennsylvania, especially as bystanders. From the review of the data, we conclude that fatal injuries to non-working children on farms are preventable. The process of identifying different injury patterns associated with non-work-related child activity has increased our understanding of how safety professionals and community members may help prevent these fatalities. Many researchers have noted a variety of intervention efforts that show potential for providing safer farm and home environments but will need long-term commitments in various capacities.

Agriculture technology is moving toward automation, placing operators in a supervisory role. This change in operator workload may lead to increased stress and higher mental load, resulting in reduced attention and hence greater risk of illness or injury to humans and damage to equipment. This study investigated the use of easily applicable equipment to measure mental load. Three methods were used to measure the mental load on machine operators: heart rate monitoring, two types of electroencephalograph (EEG) evaluation, and an assessment protocol. Three driving exercises (general driving, slalom driving, and loading) and a counting exercise were used in a driving simulator to create different levels of mental load. Due to the number of exercises, a single-scale assessment protocol was used to save time. We found that only the assessment protocol gave clear results and would work well as an evaluation tool. The heart rate and EEG measurements did not provide clear data for mental load assessment.

Each year, many fatalities result from rollovers of agricultural tractors in Japan. In addition to rollover protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts, a warning device that alerts the operator of impending rollover based on the tractor stability index is a measure used to prevent rollovers. The stability index requires inertial parameters, which have been measured only for the single body of the tractor, to calculate the warning threshold. In this study, the center of gravity (CoG) and lateral stability angles of three agricultural tractors were measured, and lateral stability angles were also calculated and compared with measured values for three tractor-tiller combinations to analyze the effect of the attached implement on the tractor stability as well as to verify the accuracy of the calculation methods. The roll moment of inertia (RMI) was also measured for two tractors and two rotary tillers, and RMI values for tractor-tiller combinations were calculated. The measurement and calculation results show that the attached implement increased the lateral stability angle of tractors in phase I rollover and decreased the lateral stability angle in phase II rollover, and for a certain tractor-tiller combination, there was no transition from phase I to phase II rollover. The difference between the measured and calculated lateral stability angles in phase I ranged from -3.5° to 2.5°, while that in phase II ranged from 0.2° to 5.2°. The RMI about the longitudinal axis through the CoG was 203 and 433 kg m-2 for tractors A and B, respectively, and 52 and 94 kg m-2 for rotary tillers D and F, respectively. The calculated RMI values were 265 and 540 kg m-2 for tractor-tiller combinations A-D and B-E, respectively.

We are writing in response to the editorial "ROPS Are Not Homemade" by W. E. Field, R. Tormoehlen, S. Ehlers, C. Cheng, A. Talbert, G. Deboy, D. Haberlin, and C. V. Schwab, which was published in the July 2019 issue of the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health (Field et al., 2019). The editorial warns secondary school teachers and FFA advisors about the potential liability of fabricating and installing low-cost rollover protective structures (ROPS) as service learning projects for agricultural education students. The apparent intent of the editorial is to discourage teachers and advisors from carrying out such projects. We wish to present arguments as to why these are actually highly beneficial projects to undertake, and perhaps one of our best hopes for significantly reducing the number of tractor overturn injuries and fatalities by directly involving our nation's youth.

Transportation-related incidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities for all industries in the U.S., including the agricultural industry, which suffers thou- sands of crashes involving farm equipment each year. Simulated driving studies offer a safe and cost-effective way to conduct driving research that would not be feasible in the real world. A tractor driving miniSim was developed and then evaluated for realism at the University of Iowa among 99 Midwestern farm equipment operators. It is important for driving simulators to have a high degree of realism for their results to be applicable to non-simulated driving operations. High-fidelity driving simulators facilitate extrapolations made by driving research but should be re-tested for realism when changes are made to the design of the simulator. The simulator used in this study emulated a tractor cab with realistic controls, three high-resolution screens, and high-fidelity sound. After completing a 10-minute drive, farm equipment operators completed a survey and scored four specific domains assessing specific characteristics (i.e., appearance, user interface, control, and sound) of the tractor simulator's realism using a seven-point Likert scale (from 0 = not at all realistic to 6 = completely realistic). An overall realism score and domain scores were calculated. Farm equipment operators were also asked to provide recommendations for improving the tractor miniSim. Overall, farm equipment operators rated the simulator's realism favorably (i.e., >3 on a scale from 0 to 6) for all individual items and domains. The appearance domain received the highest average realism score (mean = 4.58, SD = 1.03), and the sound domain received the lowest average realism score (mean = 3.86, SD = 1.57). We found no significant differences in realism scores across farm equipment operator characteristics. The most frequently suggested improvements were to tighten the steering wheel (27%), make the front tires visible (19%), and that no improvements were needed to improve the simulator realism (18%). This study demonstrates that the new trac- tor miniSim is a viable approach to studying farm equipment operations and events that can lead to tractor-related crashes. Future studies should incorporate the suggested improvements and seek to validate the simulator as a research and outreach instrument.

Solitary work is common on farmsteads and is often a key contributor to delayed responses to life-threatening incidents. This research focused on applications, system components, mounting considerations, and configuration of automatic video alert systems for agricultural safety and security. This technology can be used to monitor and alert farm managers of workers in high-risk locations and potentially reduce the frequency of fatal or serious-injury incidents. Video monitoring of these sites could also reduce the need for in-person inspections, decreasing direct exposure to such locations. Security applications of the technology allow monitoring of high-value equipment, tools, inputs, and products. Continued development of video-based safety initiatives will lead to better applications for enhancing worker safety, hazard detection, and farm security.

Worldwide, the number of quad bike-related injuries and fatalities has increased over the last 30 years and, although quad bike safety has become increasingly important over the last decade, greater understanding of the risks associated with these vehicles is required. This study aimed to improve understanding of the interrelationships between risk perception, risk management, and the use of safety technologies in quad bike operation. A total of 70 quad bike riders were interviewed in two sets of interviews: one targeting riders visiting two forestry fairs, and the other targeting riders with quad bikes equipped with ROPS. The interviews showed that the quad bike riders had a tendency for externalization of risk. This result possibly derives from the articulation and allocation of blame; the majority of respondents saw the problem of quad bike safety as a result of faulty rider behavior, thus shifting focus away from the technology as well as from themselves. This also applies to many of the interviewed ROPS owners, as one of their prime motivators in acquiring ROPS was to improve the safety of others rather than their own safety.