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All-terrain vehicle (ATV) incidents are one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities among youth in the agricultural industry. It has been hypothesized that many youth-related ATV incidents occur because children ride ATVs that do not fit their capabilities and are not following basic safe riding practices. In addition, various ATV safety guidelines regarding youth (e.g., CPSC, ANSI/SVIA, ASI) are inconsistent and may not align with state or local laws. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive studies have compared the physical and mental requirements for riding ATVs and the youth's capabilities to ride ATVs safely. Consequently, there are no scientific-based recommendations for age limitation, physical and mental capabilities, and safety requirements for youth to ride ATVs safely. Thus, there is a need to review the available sources related to youth safety and ATVs in the agricultural industry, identify the research voids, and recommend modifications to current ATV guidelines. This study conducted a systematic review of available ATV-related studies, standards, guidelines, and laws to establish better-informed minimum age, physical and mental capabilities, and safety requirements for youths to ride ATVs on the farm.

ProblemUtility All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are one major cause of youth injuries and fatalities on farms. Utility ATVs have heavy weights and fast speeds that require complex maneuvering. Youth's physical capabilities may not be sufficient to perform those complex maneuvers correctly. Therefore, it is hypothesized that most youth engage in ATV-related incidents because they ride vehicles unfit for them. There is a need to assess ATV-youth fit based on youth anthropometry.MethodThis study focused on evaluating potential inconsistencies between the operational requirements of utility ATVs and the anthropometric measures of youth through virtual simulations. Virtual simulations were performed to assess 11 youth-ATV fit guidelines proposed by several ATV safety advocacy organizations (National 4-H council, CPSC, IPCH, and FReSH). In total, 17 utility ATVs along with male-and-female-youth of nine ages (8 to 16 years old) and three height percentiles (5th, 50th, and 95th) were evaluated.ResultsThe results demonstrated a physical mismatch between ATVs' operational requirements and youth's anthropometry. For example, male-youth aged 16 of the 95th height percentile failed to pass at least 1 out of the 11 fit guidelines for 35 % of all vehicles evaluated. The results were even more concerning for females. Female youth 10 years old and younger (from all height percentiles) failed to pass at least one fit guideline for all ATVs evaluated.DiscussionYouth are not recommended to ride utility ATVs.Practical applicationsThis study provides quantitative and systematic evidence to modify current ATV safety guidelines. Furthermore, youth occupational health professionals could use the present findings to prevent ATV-related incidents in agricultural settings.

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are among the leading causes of injury and death among youth in the agriculture industry. It is hypothesised that youth are involved in ATV-related incidents because they cannot effectively activate the vehicle's controls. This study evaluated potential discrepancies between the required activation forces of the controls of fifty-four utility ATVs and the strength of male-and-female youth of varying ages (6-20 years old) and strength percentiles (5th, 50th, and 95th). The activation forces of the ATVs' controls were measured experimentally, while the youth's corresponding strength was retrieved from the literature. The results of this study demonstrated a physical mismatch between the forces required to operate ATV controls and youth's strength. Turning the handlebar, pressing the footbrake, and pushing the ATV off are the most difficult tasks for ATV operation. These discrepancies compromise the youth's ability to ride ATVs, increasing their risk of crashes. Practitioner summary: Previous studies indicate that some youth engage in ATV incidents because they cannot activate the vehicle's controls. We measured the forces required to operate eight ATV controls and compared them with the youth's corresponding strength. Our results demonstrated physical mismatches between the forces required to operate ATV controls and the youth's strength.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to introduce and evaluate two interventions, Ergo Bucket Carrier (EBC) and Easy Lift (EL), for youths (and adults) to handle water/feed buckets on farms.BackgroundThe physical activities of both adult and youth farm workers contribute to the development of low-back disorders (LBDs). Many of the activities youths perform on farms are associated with increased LBD risk, particularly, the handling of water and feed buckets.MethodSeventeen adult and youth participants (10 males and seven females) participated in this study. To assess the risk of LBDs, the participants were instrumented with a three-dimensional spinal electrogonio-meter while lifting, carrying, and dumping water buckets using the traditional method and the two interventions.ResultsFor both the adult and youth groups, the results showed that the two interventions significantly decrease the magnitudes of LBD risk in many of the tasks evaluated. Overall, the use of the EBC resulted in a 41% reduction in the level of LBD risk for the carrying task and a reduction of 69% for the dumping task. Using the EL, on the other hand, is especially effective for lifting tasks (55% reduction in LBD risk). Results of the subjective response were consistent with the objective evaluations.ConclusionThis study demonstrated the potential for ergonomic interventions in reducing LBD risk during the common farming task of bucket handling.ApplicationPotential application of this study includes the introduction of the EBC and EL in family farms to reduce the LBD risk among youth and adult farmers.

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are among the leading causes of injury and death among youth in the agriculture industry. It is hypothesised that youth are involved in ATV-related incidents because they cannot effectively activate the vehicle's controls. This study evaluated potential discrepancies between the required activation forces of the controls of fifty-four utility ATVs and the strength of male-and-female youth of varying ages (6–20 years old) and strength percentiles (5th, 50th, and 95th). The activation forces of the ATVs' controls were measured experimentally, while the youth's corresponding strength was retrieved from the literature. The results of this study demonstrated a physical mismatch between the forces required to operate ATV controls and youth's strength. Turning the handlebar, pressing the footbrake, and pushing the ATV off are the most difficult tasks for ATV operation. These discrepancies compromise the youth's ability to ride ATVs, increasing their risk of crashes. Practitioner summary: Previous studies indicate that some youth engage in ATV incidents because they cannot activate the vehicle's controls. We measured the forces required to operate eight ATV controls and compared them with the youth's corresponding strength. Our results demonstrated physical mismatches between the forces required to operate ATV controls and the youth's strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue including the aging agriculture workforce, musculoskeletal disorder risk factors and the Swedish agricultural health and safety.