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

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Safety Warnings in Tractor Operation Manuals, 1920–1980: Manuals and Warnings Don't Always Work;
Authors and Corporations: Tebeaux, Elizabeth
In: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 40, 2010, 1, p. 3-28
published:
SAGE Publications
Media Type: Article, E-Article

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further information
Physical Description: 3-28
ISSN: 0047-2816
1541-3780
DOI: 10.2190/tw.40.1.b
published in: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Language: English
Subjects:
Collection: SAGE Publications (CrossRef)
Table of Contents

<jats:p> 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. </jats:p>