If the manufacturers installed the new arches of hygiene, independizarían the places of driving of the systems of protection to the dump, by what all the habitáculos could be identical

The past 7 March presented in the headquarters of the Institute of Public and Labour Health of Navarra (ISPLN) a new structure of protection in front of the dump of tractors without cabin, an invention that constitutes an innovation with regard to the arches abatibles existent in the market, since active of automatic form in front of inclinations of the terrain. We have wanted to know of the hand of Carmelo Pérez Larraya, boss of the Unit of the Sector Agropecuario of the ISPLN and promoter of the idea, how arose a project that has like aim recess noticeably the number of deaths by vuelcos of tractor, enciphered between 80 and 100 every year in our country.

At present the new tractors can carry one of the three systems of following protection: the own cabin of the tractor, a fixed structure or an arch of hygiene abatible. The difference between the new arch and the fixed arches, estriba in that these last have the totally vertical sticks –recta, no bent– and the structure in if it is narrower that the total width of the tractor. However with the new arch, when being expandible and have the vertical sticks bent to outside, in case of dump all the structure expands at the same time to the high and width, until reaching the same width that the one of the tractor, achieving a space of hygiene a lot greater and fewer deteriorations in the bodywork of the tractor.

The big advantage of the new arch in relation to the cabins, is that these build and bear supporting in the structure of protection, by what in principle each model has the distinct cabin to the rest. If the manufacturers installed the new arches of hygiene, independizarían the places of driving of the systems of protection to the dump, by what all the habitáculos could be identical for all the models making possible that these habitáculos when being independent could autonivelar, be giratorios 360º, etc., allowing a greater cheapening of the tractors.

On the other hand it occurs that at present when a tractor dumps in tonel (more than 90º) any small deterioration suffered by the structure forces to substitute almost all the cabin being this very expensive failure, surpassing the majority of the times the price of the tractor. If the gifted tractor with automatic active arches dumped, the majority of the times only would be necessary to substitute these, since the cabin would remain inside the zone of protection of the arches, being the cost of repair very inferior.

Of the arches abatibles it is necessary to indicate that when treating of a manual system and that depends on the will of the tractorista to be operative, almost always are used to to be knocked down by diverse reasons: by discomfort or pereza, because they are missing elements of anchorage (bulones, pestillos, etc.) that have lost and have not replaced , etc. This fact does that many of the accidents of dump of these vehicles have like result the death of the driver, being this one of the greater causes of death in Spain.

With the new arch, when treating of an active and automatic system, disappears this risk, since the arch this always prepared “” to act automatically in case of dump, independently of the will of the tractorista.

Fundamentally that the structures or arches abatibles depend on the will of the driver to fulfil his function. Instead the new structure goes always 'active' and operative, and in what the tractor dumps and surpasses the 45º/50º, the structure expands automatically upwards and to the sides, in less than 300 milliseconds. The time of length of a dump established does already several years in something more than a second.

“In what the tractor dumps and surpasses the 45/50º, the structure expands automatically upwards and to the sides in less than 300 milliseconds”

All the technicians of prevention related with the sector carry a lot of years giving turns to the problem and going back the look to the social agents and clamando to the politicians so that they changed the legislation and demanded the forcing to install structures of protection in all the tractors without exception, already are big or small, with independence that they are in hands of the one who are, are employers or jubilados. It is not prank, in the Group of work of the Agricultural Sector of the National Commission this obsession for deleting or paliar the problem of the rugged by dump of tractor has been a constant and this well know it all the estamentos social and administration, as many times they have been partícipes of initiatives that remained or limited or inconclusas.

On the other hand, when seeing that although it forced , there are a lot of tractors protected that they are a source of dead persons and injured, decide to create another system that, based in technology of ultima generation, avoided discomforts and provided advantages.

Of izqda. To dcha., the speakers of the day –Antonio Morente, José Ignacio Arana, Carmelo Pérez of Larraya, Francisco Javier Vitriáin, José Ramón Alfaro and José Luis Ponce–, accompanied by the adviser of Health of Navarra, Marta Vera.

The idea was cream to finals of November of the 2011, and developed completely during the year 2012 thanks to the narrow relation of the ISPLN with the Public University of Navarra. Relation that comes of a lot of years by the miscellaneous projects realised jointly like the programs of Extreme designated calculation.XLS And Dump.XLS. Computer programs by means of which can design and calculate, for the tractors commercialised prior to 1978, structures of protection with the same resistance and conditions that the recognised.

Say that so much the ISPLN, like the professors Arana, Alfaro and Ballesteros, of the Campus of Tudela of the UPNA —am convinced that at present they are leading in the world in the calculation of structures of protection— have dumped in the project, by what this has not had any setback and everything to gone out to the first.

Although it is very soon to speak of commercial results, yes have to say that already there are three companies interested in the manufacture and commercialisation.

It is necessary to take into account that the project has done in a year, something very difficult to understand by any one. Now it remains an arid way with some formalities of validation of agreement to the exigencias current and win reticencias, since it is an extremely new product and has to give to know for sortear obstacles. It is necessary to take into account the estupor and incredulity that produced us does few years the system of protection in the trucks to base of air-bags. Then, a lot of people desconfiaba of the system and doubted that the air-bag inflase in case of accident. Nowadays anybody doubts of his effectiveness. I think that these systems have us allanado the way, but still remains trecho for visiting.

The professors José Ignacio Arana and José Ramón Alfaro (dcha.), they pose in front of the new arch of hygiene.

In the first place, and to visualise the magnitude of the problem in Spain, have to say that still, and according to a survey of the Ministry of Agriculture, exist some 190.000 ancient tractors without protecting, and this is something with what it is necessary to finish.

And referent the question, the big tractors if they are ready, no like this the average with arches abatibles or the small (minors of 600 kg), where the no labour ‘legislation' allows that they go without protection, being these causes of a lot of deaths by asphyxia. Always I agree me of a south village of Navarra where in three consecutive years produced three mortal accidents for dumping with these small tractors.

On the other hand, are bursting into the quads like elements of support and light works, and are causing also grave and mortal accidents, by what also are candidates to install the new structure.

Yes that it would be important the exigencia that all the tractors, and when I say all the tractors is all, carry structure of active and automatic protection, since it would suppose a decrease from among 60 and 80 deaths to the year in Spain, apart from an important reduction of the number of injured.

The day of presentation in the headquarters of the ISPLN was all a success.

It would be necessary to establish a line of helps to improve and install active and automatic systems of protection antivuelco, and besides, that the administration, while it do not produce a normative change, facilitate the formalities for the adecuación of all the equipment (tractor trucks and machines), as well as achieve and demand the installation of belts of subjection and the use of the same in the gifted tractors of protection antivuelco.