Farms can be a great place to do business, however they can also provide hazardous conditions.
With the arrival of spring and longer working hours, the chances of an accident on a quad bike rise significantly, and New Zealand farmers, their families, and farm employees must keep quad bike safety high on their safety priorities list.
“We have been running a quad bike safety program for the past two and a half years, and as spring approaches, we will be stepping up our visits to farms to ensure these machines are being operated safely,” National Programs Support & Design Manager Francois Barton stated.
Close to 900 People Injured Yearly on Farm Quad Bikes
“Every year, 850 people are injured on farms riding quad bikes and five die,” Barton went on to say. “For many of those injured it was over a week before they could resume normal farming duties. If you can’t work, you can’t farm. Farms are workplaces and farmers have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their staff.”
According to Barton, farms continue to have one of the highest levels of injury of any workplace in New Zealand. Quad bikes are a major factor in this, but one that is easily preventable if these machines are respected and used correctly.
“Most farming injuries happen on flat terrain, in fine and dry conditions. It’s very important not to get complacent when using a quad bike,” Barton noted. “Remember to keep your employees, your family members, and your own safety at front of mind.”
The Ministry’s quad bike harm reduction campaign seeks to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities through improving quad bike safety on all farms.
The campaign has four key safety steps:
• Always wear a helmet
• Ensure riders are trained and experienced
• Never let children ride adult quad bikes
• Choose the right vehicle for the job – especially when towing a load or carrying passengers.
The intention in promoting these four steps is that if quad bike riders on farms put these into practice, riders will experience fewer accidents, and if accidents do occur, riders will experience less serious harm.
Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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