Rollbar rebate increasingThe New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) is tackling the No. 1 threat to New York farmers – tractor rollovers. In 2007, the first year of NYCAMH’s rollover protection rebate program, 350 farmers received assistance in retrofitting their tractors. To assist even more farmers, NYCAMH has increased the amount of the rebate in 2008. A farmer’s risk of dying on the job is 800 percent higher than that of the average American worker. The largest cause of these fatal and permanently crippling injuries is tractor overturns. In the event of a tractor overturn, injuries can be prevented by installation of a rollbar or rollover protective structure (ROPS). The presence of the rollbar alone reduces risk by 70 percent. Additional use of a seatbelt with the rollbar reduces risk by more than 95 percent. This is why all new tractors have rollbars and seatbelts. Unfortunately, about half of the tractors on New York farms are older, unprotected ones. Farmers find the cost ($700-$1,200) of ROPS and the effort required to purchase and install the rollbar to be major barriers to making tractors safer. To provide additional help, NYCAMH has increased the amount of the rebate available to New York farmers who retrofit their tractors with a ROPS kit to as much as 70 percent of the cost of retrofitting the tractor, from the maximum of $600 last year to $703 for 2008. This amount matches the average increase in cost of ROPS kits from manufacturers in the past year. The rebate is available to farmers who call, toll free, 877-ROPS-R4U. The program is facilitated by NYCAMH and supported by Farm Family Insurance, the New York Farm Bureau and the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association. Farmers contacting the program’s hotline are given assistance in identifying, locating and pricing the equipment they need. In 2007, the ROPS Rebate Program resulted in a tenfold increase in the installation of rollbars on farm tractors. Well over 90 percent of the farmers who participated in the program were “pleased” or “very pleased” with the way it went. New York is now recognized nationally as a leader in the effort to reduce farming fatalities. Farmers without a protected tractor are encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity to prevent disabling rollover injuries and to protect family members and workers using the farm’s tractors. John May, M.D. Director, NYCAMH Cooperstown
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