Safety Warnings in Tractor Operation Manuals, 1920–1980: Manuals and Warnings Don't Always Work

Elizabeth Tebeaux Mitchell Institute

Abstract

This article studies the history of one of the most critical, unresolved problems in mechanized agriculture: Tractor operators do not read the operation manuals, particularly the safety warnings. The result: sustained death and injury of these operators for well over a century. The article tracks the emergence of warnings in tractor operator manuals found in the archives of the University of Nebraska Tractor Test Museum (1919–2007), describes efforts of manufacturers during this time to alert operators to dangers associated with tractors, and concludes with a summary of current research on tractor safety and the problem that remains unresolved: how to change the culture of farmers who use these implements, critical to agriculture production, to encourage them to read and follow safety practices.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2010-01-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.40.1.b
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.13031/2013.20198
  2. 10.13031/2013.15356
  3. 10.13031/2013.8431
  4. 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1995.tb00427.x
  5. 10.13031/2013.19464
  6. 10.13031/2013.19458
  7. 10.5032/jae.1994.04067
  8. 10.1016/0022-4375(93)90028-L
  9. 10.13031/2013.8428
  10. 10.13031/2013.15352
  11. 10.1080/03637759209376276
CrossRef global citation count: 15 View in citation network →