Tractor rollovers _ the top cause of death on US farms _ decline as farmers upgrade equipment

Tractor upgrades reduce farm deaths from rollovers

Deaths from tractor rollovers have been dropping in the U.S. as farmers buy new tractors equipped with roll bars, reinforced cabs and seat belts or upgrade older ones with those features.

Tractor rollovers have long been the leading cause of death on U.S. farms. But a study published last year by federal researchers found that rollover deaths fell 28 percent over the past two decades, dropping from 5.5 deaths per 100,000 workers in 1992 to 3.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2007.

John Myers, a health statistician with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, says that’s partly because many farmers upgraded their equipment during a flush period in agriculture from 2004 to 2007. He says it’s not clear yet how the recession might have affected that trend.