Quad bikes
Quad bikes
Quad bikes are a leading cause of deaths and serious injuries on farms, mostly from being crushed by an overturned machine or head injuries from not wearing helmets. Children and older people are most at risk.
SafeWork NSW and industry agree to promote:
- safer vehicles on-farm ie side-by-side vehicles (SSVs)
- retrofitting engineered operator protective devices (OPDs) to existing quad bikes
- the availability of helmets for on-farm use and the importance of wearing them
- the need for training and its benefits regardless of experience
- following of manufacturer’s instructions (eg appropriate fitting of accessories and load limits)
- that no child under 16 operates or ride as a passenger on adult size quad bikes.
SafeWork NSW will:
- work with state and federal agencies to work towards the introduction of a consumer safety rating system for quad bikes and SSVs
- promote the need to wear helmets
- work with emergency services to collect information to support harm prevention strategies
- work with the supply chain
- work with NSW Health to increase correlation of notification data.
We will know we are on track if:
- worker deaths and serious injuries from quad bikes decline by 20% and 30% respectively by 2022 using agricultural specific baseline data (2011/12 to 2015/16)
- percentage of farm quad bike operators who have completed accredited training increases (20% by 2020 and 50% by 2022)
- farm quad bike operators who wear helmets increase (20% by 2018, 60% by 2020 and 90% by 2022)
- the number of farms using SSVs compared to quad bikes continues to increase according to a market research data where available
- dealerships that demonstrate systematic support for safe purchasing decisions continue to increase.
I was in a quad bike crash that could have cost me my life. I hit a piece of wood hidden in the long grass. The quad bike rolled over the top of me, injuring my hip, shoulder, wrist and ribs. Luckily I am alive today, but the incident continues to impact my life and work on the farm. After all of this, we purchased a side-by-side vehicle (SSV). In hindsight, I wish I had done this 10 years ago. The SSV hascut down the use of our quad bike and thanks to its versatility, it is now the vehicle of choice on our farm.