Quad Bike Accidents

In the May 2015 (Issue 75) edition of our newsletter there was an article by John Formosa about the dangers of quad bikes on rural properties.

WorkSafe Victoria have recently adopted a policy accepting rollover protection devices on quad bikes and other all-terrain vehicles (“ATV’s”) as appropriate means of reducing risk of injury from these types of machines.

If rollover protection devices are not fitted to quad bikes and ATV’s then the owner/employer could potentially be liable for fines of tens of thousands of dollars if there is a roll over causing injury or death to an employee using a vehicle without such a device being fitted.

The move by WorkSafe Victoria is the most significant step yet in decreasing the number of ATV deaths and could encourage other states and other countries to replicate the move.

Apparently roll over protection systems can be purchased for as little as $700.00 so the cost cannot be used as a reasonable excuse not to install them.

As mentioned in John Formosa’s earlier article, the ATV industry have discouraged the use of roll protection systems but WorkSafe Victoria have clearly now said that they were “an appropriate means of reducing risk”.

Marnie Williams the Executive Director of Health and Safety of WorkSafe Victoria said that her organisation shares the community’s concerns that the number of fatalities and serious injuries involving quad bikes is too high.  She further said, “As a result, WorkSafe has reviewed its current strategy and has accepted that a roll over protection device is an appropriate means of reducing risk when quad bikes are used in the workplace.”  She then went on to say, “While it will not be compulsory for Victorian Employers to fit an operative protective advice, WorkSafe has made the decision to declare them an appropriate means of controlling the risk of a roll over.  This means that if a roll over was to occur, the employer could face prosecution for failing to reduce the risk to the operator.”  Finally she said, “We believe this strategy will save lives.”

From 2001-2015 there have been 42 fatalities in Victoria involving ATV’s and 221 deaths recorded nationally.