Safety, health and hygiene in agriculture

Abstract Farming operations lack many of the constraints of factory work. Employees are isolated and work in very varied conditions with variable materials. In the past this has led to a poor accident record, but safety authorities have tackled the most severe problems through research, standardisation and legislation. This has produced a dramatic improvement in safety and health over the last 20 years. Tractor overturning used to be the main cause of fatalities. Analysis of accident behaviour, computer simulation and experiments have led to the development of standard strength tests for safety cabs and frames. An amount of energy, related to tractor mass, must be absorbed by the cab without deformation intruding into the operator space. These severe requirements have almost completely removed the risk of a cab collapsing, but drivers are occasionally thrown out and crushed. Research on stability should help to reduce the incidence of overturning. Ride vibration on tractors is consistently high enough to cause physiological damage. Suspension systems for cabs or wheels have been shown to overcome the problem but effective designs are only just beginning to be adopted commercially. Noise on tractors is difficult and expensive to suppress at source but insulation and isolation of the cab now provides acceptable levels for the driver. Other problems that have been improved through research include power transmission between tractor and implement, vehicle handling and braking, dust, heat and cold, workplace design and mental stress. Falls and falling objects are persistent causes of injury. In the future, robotics and autonomous vehicles may bring benefits in reducing the need for operators but generate potential safety problems.