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Warning against Critical Slopes in Agriculture: Comprehension of Targeted Safety Signs in a Group of Machinery Operators in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Lucia Vigoroso

    (Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce, 73–10135 Torino, Italy)

  • Federica Caffaro

    (Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce, 73–10135 Torino, Italy)

  • Eugenio Cavallo

    (Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce, 73–10135 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

Steep slopes are the main cause of rollover incidents in agriculture. Targeted safety signs have been developed to warn machinery operators against risky slopes. However, machinery user’s manuals and road signs report information regarding slope steepness in two different ways, by using the tilt angle in degrees and the slope percentage, respectively. In this study, we investigated the comprehension of safety signs depicting critical slopes, either in degrees or as percent values in a group of Italian agricultural machinery operators while considering the possible influence of previous experience with agricultural machinery, previous incidents, and on-farm occupation. Eighteen tractor and self-propelled machinery operators were administered graphical representations of seven slope angles in a randomized order and then were asked to estimate the slope steepness as both a tilt angle and a slope percentage. The participants tended to overestimate slope steepness in degrees, whereas the opposite was true for percentages. Farmers who were previously involved in a machinery-related incident were more accurate in their estimates. The present results raise some considerations regarding the need to redesign safety communication and to promote targeted training interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia Vigoroso & Federica Caffaro & Eugenio Cavallo, 2019. "Warning against Critical Slopes in Agriculture: Comprehension of Targeted Safety Signs in a Group of Machinery Operators in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:4:p:611-:d:207408
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mario Fargnoli & Mara Lombardi & Nicolas Haber & Daniele Puri, 2018. "The Impact of Human Error in the Use of Agricultural Tractors: A Case Study Research in Vineyard Cultivation in Italy," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-21, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Moon-Kyeong Jang & Seung-Jun Kim & Beom-Soo Shin & Ju-Seok Nam, 2024. "Lateral Overturning and Backward Rollover of Agricultural Tractors: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Lucia Vigoroso & Federica Caffaro & Margherita Micheletti Cremasco & Eugenio Cavallo, 2021. "Innovating Occupational Safety Training: A Scoping Review on Digital Games and Possible Applications in Agriculture," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Giorgia Bagagiolo & Lucia Vigoroso & Federica Caffaro & Margherita Micheletti Cremasco & Eugenio Cavallo, 2019. "Conveying Safety Messages on Agricultural Machinery: The Comprehension of Safety Pictorials in a Group of Migrant Farmworkers in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-13, October.

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