§ 53. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the operation and effectiveness of the regulations on the use of safety cabs on tractors.
§ Mr. StrangThe main purpose of the tractor cab regulations is to reduce fatalities and injuries in agriculture by preventing the driver from being crushed by the weight of an overturned tractor. Before the regulations were introduced such accidents accounted for more than one-quarter of all fatalities on farms in England and Wales. Since they came into force on 1st September 1970 farm safety inspectors have investigated well over 300 overturning incidents where the tractor was fitted with an approved safety cab; and this revealed that every driver who remained within the protective frame of the cab survived, and that the majority escaped with only minor injuries. I am satisfied that these regulations are making a very positive contribution to safety in agriculture; and that the new provisions concerning quiet cabs, which take effect on 1st June, will help further by safeguarding drivers against deafness.