Tractor risk abatement and control as a coherent strategy

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Safety and Health
• Injury Prevention Research
• Public Policy Analysis

Background:

• Agricultural tractors are the leading cause of fatal farm injuries in the U.S.
• Despite knowledge gains, public policy has failed to significantly reduce tractor-related fatalities.
• A 1997 conference aimed to create actionable recommendations for reducing tractor deaths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the completeness of a tractor injury prevention strategy.
• To assess recommendations based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and an antecedent model.
• To explore organizational-level implementation of safety strategies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an evaluation model derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior.
• Assessed a set of 25 agreed-upon action items from the 1997 Tractor Risk Abatement and Control conference.
• Examined strategy completeness for tractor overturns, runovers, traffic collisions, and youth operators.

Main Results:

• The 25 recommended action items form a coherent strategy for injury prevention.
• The strategy aims to influence individual intention to act to prevent tractor-related injuries.
• Organizational implementation of the strategy is a key consideration for reducing fatalities.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy provides a comprehensive approach to mitigating tractor-related injuries.
• Implementing these recommendations at an organizational level is crucial for success.
• Further efforts are needed to translate policy recommendations into reduced farm fatalities.