4/5/06 - Colorado University's High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) has received a $504,000 grant, to lead a group of 10 university-based agricultural safety and health research centers in a national initiative to prevent deaths and serious injuries from tractor roll-overs.

Under the initiative, the centers will:

1. Study the costs of injuries from farm tractor overturns and highway collisions, and identify who bears those costs.
2. Assess the impact of changes in ROPS standards, regulations and technology; and their effect on future ROPS availability.
3. Examine the acceptability and procedures for financial incentives to retrofit tractors with ROPS.
4. Create a database of potential partners to help guide the planned national campaign and launch an intranet to facilitate communication about tractor safety among the centers.