Tractor Rollovers Stats and Facts

FACTS

1. Tractor roll-overs are one of the most common causes of injury and death on farms.
2. Tractor overturn incidents can result in major injuries (crushing injuries, broken bones, and even death.)
3. Side overturns are the most common type of tractor overturn incident. In a side overturn incident, a tractor rolls onto its side.
4. The two major factors at play in side overturn incidents are center of gravity and centrifugal force.

STATS

• Each year, an average of 132 American farm workers are crushed to death as tractors overturn during operation. 
• If tractors without ROPS are not retrofitted, NIOSH estimates that 2,800 rollover-related deaths could occur during the period that these tractors remain in use (an estimated 31 years).
• Forty percent of the 250 persons involved in unprotected tractor rollover incidents died. In contrast, the study found that only 2%, or one person died, of the 61 persons operating ROPS-equipped tractors that rolled over. 
• The 2010 U.S. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries found that the largest net increase in fatal work injuries involved drivers of tractor trailers or other heavy trucks—a 6% rise from 577 to 610 cases annually.
• The most common type of tractor accident is rollovers—The U.S. Department of Labor (USDL) reports that 44% of farm accidents are due to tractor rollovers.
• The National Agricultural Tractor Safety Initiative reports that tractors cause about 130 deaths annually or half of all farm worker fatalities.