Whole Document Navigator (Click Here)    ---------------------------------- Top of Document Why Safety is Most Important Safer Environments Safer Equipment Safer Operators Footnotes Disclaimer Copyright Infomation

Safer Tractor Operations: Introduction¹

Carol J. Lehtola and Charles M. Brown²

Tractors play a vital role in the agriculture. Proper training is important because workers may be required to drive a tractor to spray herbicides, fertilizer, pesticides or other chemicals.

Tractor incidents are responsible for many injuries and deaths in the U.S. every year either through unsafe operation or because the equipment itself is not up to modern safety standards.

Florida AgSafe, the Florida Agricultural Safety Program, has created a series of publications to be used in training and education in the safer use of tractors. This workbook introduces the series of six comprehensive circulars for different professions and owners. Each of the eight fact sheets focus on one specific area of tractor safety (IFAS Publication Number is in parentheses).

• Safer Tractor Operations for Agricultural Employers (CIR1249)

• Safer Tractor Operations for Privately Owned and Operated Farms and Ranches (CIR1250)

• Safer Tractor Operations for Home and Acreage Owners (CIR1251)

• Safer Tractor Operations for Landscape Maintenance and Horticultural Industries (CIR 1252)

• Safer Tractor Operations for Rescue Workers and Emergency Personnel (CIR1253)

• Safer Tractor Operations for Farm Workers/ Employees (CIR1254)

These publications are ideal for use as the basis of tractor safety programs. They cover many topics related to safer tractor use and include training activities, pre-post tests and record-keeping tools.

Safer tractor operations are divided in this series into three parts:

1. Safer Environments

2. Safer Equipment

3. Safer Operators

The following eight fact sheets in the series will help improve your ability to operate tractors.

• Getting Started on the Right Foot: Dangers of Bypass Starting (AE299)

• When Two's a Crowd: Dangers of Extra Riders on Tractors (AE300)

• Filling Gas Cans Safely (AE301)

• Avoid the Invisible Hazard: Know about Soil Shear Lines (AE305)

• Shortcuts Are Short-sighted! or, Invest Seconds, Save Lives (AE306)

• Ready or Not? Get Ready with a Tractor Operator Checklist (AE307)

• Yee-Haa! Formula for a Successful Tractor Rodeo (AE308)

• Hand-me-down Hazards: Dangers of Used Equipment (AE309)

Additional updated information is being added continually. You can locate these publications by visiting the Florida AgSafe Web site:

www.flagsafe.ufl.edu

or the UF/IFAS Extension Publications Web site, EDIS, at:

edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Then click on "Agricultural Safety."

Other publications that may be of interest to those starting an agricultural safety program are:

• Small Farmer's Resources for Safety (ABE330)

• Agricultural Employer's Resources for Safety (ABE331)

A number of OSHA publications that are relevant to safer tractor operations have been selected and are available through the Web sites listed above and include topics such as:

• Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) for Tractors Used in Agricultural Operations -- OSHA Standard 1928.51 (AE293)

• Occupational Noise Exposure: OSHA Standard 1910.95 (AE141)

• Guarding of Farm Field Equipment, Farmstead Equipment, and Cotton Gins -- OSHA Standard 1928.57 (AE134)

Why Safety is Most Important

The pdf must be downloaded to veiw this document.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AD24100.pdf

Safer Environments

Safer Equipment

Safer Operators

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Footnotes

1. This document is ABE342, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: April 2003. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Carol J. Lehtola, Associate Professor, and Charles M. Brown, Coordinator for Information/Publication Services, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

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The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.

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Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.