Citation

Pana-Cryan R, Myers ML. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2002; 42(Suppl 2): 68-71.

Affiliation

Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 200 Independence Ave., SW, MS P-12, Washington, DC 20201, USA. RPana-Cryan@cdc.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.10080

PMID

12210685

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) are proven to prevent fatalities from agricultural tractor overturns, accounting for more than one-third of all production agriculture-related fatalities in the United States. In 1997, there were approximately 1.2 million ROPS-retrofittable tractors in the United States. METHODS: A decision analysis is used to compare the health outcomes of installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors, relative to doing nothing. A cost-effectiveness analysis builds on these results to assess the costs and benefits of installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors. RESULTS: Doing nothing would result in 1,450 fatalities and 1,806 nonfatal injuries, while installing ROPS would prevent 1,176 fatalities and 957 nonfatal injuries. Installing ROPS would cost $489,373 per injury prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors would reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and nonfatal injuries by about 53%. The cost per injury prevented would be similar to that of other injury-preventing interventions. ROPS would help prevent additional injuries from falling off tractors and tractor collisions with motor vehicles.