Two farm deaths in 24 hours prompt SafeWork NSW vehicle warning
28 Nov 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: SafeWork NSW
SafeWork NSW has issued a safety warning after two people died in separate farm incidents involving a quad bike and a side-by-side vehicle within 24 hours.
A man died when the quad bike he was riding overturned on a farm at Peelwood in NSW’s south-east at 2.45pm on Tuesday, 26 November.
At 1pm on 27 November, a farm manager drowned after the side-by-side vehicle he was driving rolled into a creek on a property between Orange and Dubbo.
Since 2001, quad bike incidents have caused more than 57 deaths in NSW, with another 21 people dying in incidents involving side-by-side vehicles.
Head of SafeWork NSW Trent Curtin expressed sympathy for the families, friends and communities affected. He called on people running and working on farms to review the safety systems they have in place to prevent such incidents.
Mr Curtin said wearing a helmet reduces the risk of a fatality in a quad bike incident by 40 per cent. He warned that inspectors would take a zero-tolerance approach and issue notices and fines where workers operate side-by-side vehicles without seatbelts, or quad bikes without helmets or an operator protective device fitted.
SafeWork NSW reminded businesses that they must identify hazards and manage health and safety risks under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.
Mr Curtin urged caution: “I want to remind all farmers and workers using quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles to please take care.”
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