Kubota Encourages National Safety Month Call to Action for Safe Tractor Operation and Roll-Over Protection

Business Wire, May 30, 2008

TORRANCE, Calif. -- While focusing on tractor and equipment safety is a year-round priority, Kubota Tractor Corporation is tapping into the National Safety Council's (NSC) annual celebration of National Safety Month in June to bring added attention to tractor and equipment safety. This year marks the 12th anniversary of National Safety Month, which has the theme of "Make A Difference."

"National Safety Month is a great calendar trigger to put safety first in people's minds as they use tractors, lawn and garden equipment, construction and utility vehicles," says Greg Embury, vice president of sales and marketing, Kubota Tractor Corporation. "This year's National Safety Council theme mirrors Kubota's mission to focus on tractor operation safety to make a difference and prevent accidental injuries."

The NSC has designated each of the four weeks in June with a specific safety focus:

* June 2-6: Emergency Preparedness

* June 9-13: Reducing Distracted Driving

* June 16-20: Poisoning Prevention

* June 23-27: Falls Prevention

Though safety is something that can be practiced year round, Kubota's call to action is advising families and businesses to take time this month to review safety information for tractor, mower and utility vehicle safety. A small time-commitment now could prevent an accident or fatality in the future.

This also is a good time to check to be sure that older tractors and equipment have a Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) and seatbelt to provide a protective zone around the operator if a rollover should occur. Kubota has provided ROPS as standard equipment since 1985 - even before federal law required manufacturers to include ROPS on new tractors. Owners of early Kubota models can have a ROPS and safety belt retrofit to their tractors by contacting their local Kubota dealers.

"We strongly recommend the use of a ROPS and a seat belt to create a safety zone that may reduce chances of serious injury in the case of a rollover accident," says Embury. "Kubota has a long history of helping bring safety to the forefront of people's minds and encourages its customers to familiarize themselves with their equipment and safe operation."

To date, Kubota dealers throughout the country have installed more than 10,000 retrofits. According to the NSC, if all tractors were equipped with a ROPS and a seatbelt, about 350 lives would be saved each year.

Kubota also is a sponsor of Progressive Agriculture Safety Day[TM], an educational program designed to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for all children through education and training. In 2008, its fourteenth program year, more than 380 Safety Day events are planned in 35 states, six Canadian provinces, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. In 2007, these programs reached more than 76,000 participants with the help of 16,000 adult and older-teen volunteers. To date, Safety Days have touched the lives of more than 650,000 children and adults in rural communities.

Additional safety information, including the "Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety" and a tractor safety coloring book, can be found at the Kubota Web site, www.kubota.com. Owners of older model Kubota tractors can also utilize a ROPS and Seatbelt Installation function on the Kubota.com safety pages that allows owners to submit their tractor's model and serial number for eligible models to attain retrofit pricing from their local Kubota dealer.

Kubota Tractor Corporation, Torrance, Calif., is the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-branded equipment, including a complete line of tractors up to 103 PTO hp, performance-matched implements, compact and utility-class construction equipment, consumer lawn and garden equipment, commercial turf products and utility vehicles. For product literature or dealer locations, contact Kubota Tractor Corporation at 3401 Del Amo Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503, (888) 4-KUBOTA [(888) 458-2682], Ext. 900, or visit www.kubota.com.