An Epidemiological Study of 162 Tractor Accidents in Australia, 1964 to 1966

  • Smithurst, B. A.
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AUTHOR ABSTRACT

Australia is a major agricultural nation, which must employ tractors for efficient farming. This paper has attempted to point out that a definite accident problem exists in their use, but that, in the majority of cases, this risk can be avoided by more care in driving and better stability of the machine. The majority of accidents studied were due to tractors tipping and overturning, or to people falling under the wheels. It is thought that accidents of this type do not present an insoluble problem, and that, in particular, improved tractor design would be a great advantage. The unpredictable and often foolhardy behavior of tractor drivers, like that of motor-car drivers, is the despair of specialists in preventive medicine and, apart from education and enforcement, it is difficult to know how they can be influenced towards safer driving habits.

In conclusion, it should again be noted that there is a bias in this study, because of the large number of fatal accidents (103 out of 162) which have been analyzed. This is unavoidable, and an attempt is being made at present to obtain a clearer picture of the proportion of fatal to non-fatal accidents, as well as accurate figures on accident frequency.

JOURNAL AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE ID#

JOURNAL: Med J Aust. 1968; 1(2): 51-54.

Note: Medical Journal of Australia.

NLOM ID#: 68156010 .

Publication #: 68156010

This document was extracted from the CDC-NIOSH Epidemiology of Farm Related Injuries: Bibliography With Abstracts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

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