WA alone has seen its third quad-bike death within the past few months. The most recent tragedy seeing two boys aged 7 and 9 dying in separate quad bike accidents in rural WA and Tasmania.
Between 2011 and 2018 128 quad bike-related fatalities have occurred in Australia, of the 128 victims 11% of these deaths are aged under 11 and, a third aged over 60. Half the fatalities occurred on farms, half the fatalities were due to the rollover of the quad-bike, and 76 of the 128 victims were killed because of the quad-bike vehicle on uneven terrain, such as slopes or muddy terrain.
In 2017 the state traffic laws changed for the safety of quad bike riders and as a result helmets were made mandatory on roads and stocks routes. If quad bikes are used for work, they are now regulated under ‘model Work Health and Safety Act Laws’.
The WHS Act places duty on the person in charge to ensure all protocols and protective procedures are in place, as well as ensuring to manage the risk of the quad bike overturning and to provide protective devices such as helmets.
ProcessWorx based in Perth, Western Australia, is personally dedicated to helping small business with HR support, HR advice and farm safety. If you require HR support, HR advice, farm safety please contact ProcessWorx on (08) 9316 9896 or email enquiries@processworx.com.au
