Agricultural and forestry tractors are very often involved in accidents with overturning because of their construction with a high centre of gravity. Such accidents are caused by various factors such as drivers, vehicles, driving conditions, or landscape/terrain. The data related to the number of deaths in accidents with agriculture and forestry tractors was collected from several European countries. The landscapes (or terrain) of the countries for tractor traffic was assessed by the coefficient of the topography and the economic development level of the countries was evaluated in terms of the GDP. The correlation analysis among the factors showed us that neither the relief of the country landscape nor the economic development level of the countries have a significant influence on the number of deaths in such accidents. The essential influence is in the legislation for the tractors and drivers. The comparison of three countries (Austria, Slovenia, and Serbia) showed the implementation of legislation in this area and time are needed for reducing the number of deaths by half.
Agriculture and forestry are among the labor-intensive industries where knowledge about health and safety at work is never enough. In recent years, the risk of accidents in the workplace is in forestry at the top, as well as farming is very high. Most accidents happen with agricultural forestry and techniques. In R.Slovenia, circumstances in non-professional workers sector are especially very critical, because working in agriculture and forestry are not only involved farmers, but also everyone who has an interest, time and agricultural land or forest. However, the situation is not problematic only for individual forest and agricultural workers, but on the national level. The fact that the exact data of accidents in the non-professional workers sector are not exactly known demands detailed analyses about the causes of accidents.
If we want to reduce the number of fatalities and injured people because of driving and working with agricultural and forestry vehicles, we have to regulate the whole area of use such vehicles. First step for this are conformity assessment procedures before putting agricultural and forestry vehicles on the market to achieve that only approved vehicles will come to the market. At the moment of the registration procedure of these vehicles for the use on public roads and for work these vehicles have to be equipped with the equipment that is obliged and prescribed in the EU harmonised legislation and in the national legislation. In the exploitation these vehicles have to be in good condition that is checked with the periodic roadworthiness tests. This area is well regulated and harmonised because it is prescribed in the EU legislation. And finally the police and different inspectorates perform the roadside inspections that check the technical condition of these vehicles at driving and also at work on the field. On the other side also the drivers of agricultural and forestry vehicles need education in order to recognise what is the proper use of these vehicles, where their limits are and how to recognise the moments where they are only one step from causing an accident. If all mentioned systems work properly there is a possibility to reduce the number of fatalities and injured people with such vehicles.
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