Rollover protection structure
Like rollcages and rollbars in cars and trucks, cabs, frames or rollbars on agricultural and construction equipments, a ROPS involves mechanical components attached to the frame of the vehicle that maintain a clearance zone large enough to protect the operator's body in the event of rollover.
Commonly found on heavy equipment (i.e. tractors), earth-moving machinery and UTVs used in construction, agriculture and mining, ROPS structures are defined by various regulatory agencies, including US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)[1] and international standard organizations such as ISO and OECD.
ROPS are commonly fitted to 4x4s, pickup trucks, earth moving equipment, soil compactors and utility vehicles used in the mining industry.
Products such as this were developed out of necessity so employees travelling around or within mine sites were provided with extra protection in the event of a fleet vehicle rollover.
[4] The International Organization for Standardization has guidelines for destructively testing ROPS structures on earthmoving machinery, excavators, forestry equipment and tractors.
Their ROPS structures consist of two pyrotechnically charged roll hoops hidden behind the rear seats that will pop up in the case of a roll-over to protect the occupants.
[10] During 2003 to 2010, 933 workers in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industries were killed as a result of tractor rollover, accounting for over 63% of all tractor-related deaths.
An adjusted probability of about 8 deaths per 100 tractor overturns (8%) was extrapolated using data from the Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program.
All-terrain vehicles and tractors continue to be leading causes of fatal injury among youth in agricultural settings.
[14][15][16] When worn with a seat belt, these engineering controls are 99% effective in preventing operator death if an overturn occurs.
[10] In the United States, standards for ROPS design and utilization for tractors were first developed in 1967 by the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Over the past few decades, quantitative and qualitative research studies have attempted to identify farmers' potential barriers to ROPS adoption.
[38] The program has since expanded to seven states including New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
[45] By the end of the meeting, the National Tractor Safety Coalition was officially organized with the mission "to prevent tractor-related injuries and deaths in US agriculture by developing and implementing collaborative, stakeholder-driven, evidence-based solutions."
A detailed list of common goals are featured in the NIOSH Science Blog "The National Tractor Safety Coalition: Taking a new systems-approach to a well-known problem.
[33] Some members serve on the NTSC Steering Committee, which meets on a monthly basis and provide guidance on the overarching initiative to expand ROPS installation programs nationally while others provide assistance on various aspects of national ROPS implementation efforts, such as promotions, testimonials, congressional outreach or networking.
Given the NTSC's broad mission to address tractor-related deaths, the group seeks to tackle issues such as run-overs or implement entanglements once a National ROPS Rebate Program has been sustainably established.
