6 July 2021

Checking tyre pressure on quad bikes should be a fundamental health and safety process, says WorkSafe New Zealand.

Harm resulting from quad bikes continues to be a serious issue in New Zealand. There have been 75 fatalities across the country since 2006. A further 614 people have been seriously injured.

The reminder comes after a fatality on Tui Glen Farms in Wharepuhunga in the Waikato in January 2020.

An experienced employee was fatally injured when the quad bike they were riding with their dog rolled on a steeply sloping area of the farm. The victim was found pinned underneath the bike.

A WorkSafe investigation found that the quad bike provided to the staff member had incorrectly inflated tyres with significant variations of over-inflation of tyre pressures. It also found that the staff member had not been trained and instructed on how to check and maintain tyre pressure.

“Planning on the farm needed to include a more comprehensive system for checking the quad bikes tyre pressure,” says WorkSafe Area Investigation Manager Paul West.

WorkSafe strongly recommends that farmers consider what vehicles are best suited for the different roles and terrain of their farms. A side by side vehicle or farm Ute may be a safer option than a quadbike for some jobs.

WorkSafe also recommends that businesses consider installing crush protection devices (CPDs) on the back of quad bikes. Currently, WorkSafe are working with ACC on a cash back offer on CPDs, to help ensure workers go home healthy and safe to their whānau.

Glen Farms have since installed CPDs on its quad bike and purchased a side by side vehicle and two-wheeled motorbikes.

Notes:

• Tui Glen Farms Limited was sentenced at the Tokoroa District Court on Thursday 24 June.
• A fine of $230,000 was imposed.
• Reparation of $110,000 was ordered to be paid to the victim’s family
• Tui Glen Farms Limited was sentenced under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 48(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
  • Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, while the workers were at work in the defendants business, pursuant to s 36(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
• S 48(2)(c) carries a maximum penalty of $1,500,000