title: Evaluating the protective capacity of two-post ROPS for a seat-belted occupant during a farm tractor overturn.
abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a commercial rollover protective structure (ROPS) and size-extended ROPS in protecting a 95th percentile male operator during tractor overturns. Six rear upset tests (commercial ROPS) and ten side upset tests (commercial and size-extended ROPS) were conducted. A 95th percentile instrumented male manikin was used in all tests. Head injury criterion (HIC15), 80 g limit on resultant head acceleration, neck injury criterion (Nij), and peak axial force (extension-compression) were employed to evaluate injury potential. In all rear tests, the manikin's head impact with the ground was within the tolerance limits for head/neck injuries. Based on limited trials in the side tests, the study observed a small to moderate chance of neck injuries under the commercial and size-extended ROPS conditions; the injury risk was not statistically significant between these two test conditions. This study identified a risk of non-fatal injuries for large-size operators in side overturns, although the prevention effectiveness of commercial versus size-extended ROPS cannot be determined without further testing. These findings may have implications for future ROPS designs.
authors: NIOSH Division of Safety Research, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, USA. ezg6@cdc.gov
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Guan
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Hsiao
authors: J V
authors: JV
authors: Zwiener
authors: R S
authors: RS
authors: Current
authors: T J
authors: TJ
authors: Lutz
authors: D M
authors: DM
authors: Cantis
authors: J R
authors: JR
authors: Powers
authors: B H
authors: BH
authors: Newbraugh
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Spahr
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000383:Agriculture; D001827:Body Height; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D004869:Equipment Safety / Q000379:methods*; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008348:Manikins; D008954:Models, Biological; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D011482:Protective Devices; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012622:Seat Belts