title: Continuous overturn control of compactors/rollers by rollover protective structures.
abstract: The objective of this article is to report on the effectiveness of Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) in preventing continuous overturns of compactors/rollers. This study is a case-based analysis of government investigation reports of injury-related overturns of compactors/rollers. The overturns were predominately on construction sites including road and embankment construction in the USA. Other sites included driveway and roadway maintenance or repair and transporting of compactors/rollers either by driving or when loading on or unloading from trailers. The principle intervention observed in controlling a continuous overturn (a roll beyond 90° relative to the impact surface) was the presence of a ROPS on a compactor/roller that serves as an anti-roll bar. The main outcome measures are cases of compactor/roller overturns that are restricted to a 90° roll or are continuous (exceed a 90° roll.) All cases of an overturn in which a ROPS was present resulted in no continuous overturn, and the cases involved with no ROPS averaged an overturn of 301°, showing a propensity for a continuous overturn. This case-based analysis identified a ROPS on compactors/rollers as an effective control for reducing the risk of an overturn to 90° relative to the impact plane.
authors.affiliation: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA and College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA and 1293 Berkeley Road, Avondale Estates, GA 30002-1517, USA, melmyers@bellsouth.net.
authors.forename: Melvin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Myers