Statewide, Iowa — This is Tractor Safety Day, the first day of National Farm Safety Week, and one of the biggest dangers involving farm tractors is a lack of rollover protection.
A program offers Iowa tractor owners a rebate to install rollover protective structures, or ROPS. Jackie Curnick, program coordinator at the University of Iowa’s Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, says the rebate saves money — and rollbars save lives.
The program often has a lengthy national wait list but Curnick says Iowans have a special “in” and should apply for the rebate.
Studies find ROPS are 99% effective in preventing injury or death in the event of a rollover when used with a seatbelt, and 70% effective when used without a seatbelt.
She says virtually any tractor can be retrofitted with a ROPS. Learn more about the rebate program at www.i-cash.org.
