WorkSafe Western Australia has issued a reminder about quad bike safety following the death of a 76-year-old farmer last month at Elleker, west of Albany.
WorkSafe Western Australia Commissioner Darren Kavanagh said the farmer went out on a quad bike to do some checks on the afternoon of 24 May. He had not returned that evening and was later found deceased on the farm.
“His quad bike was operated on a steep incline in wet and windy weather, and it appeared it was being ridden down the slope when the farmer lost control and the bike flipped and landed on him,” Mr Kavanagh said.
“A tank attached to the quad bike may have contained fluids, and may have contributed to unbalancing the bike.”
He said incidents involving quad bikes happened far too often on the State’s farms and, in fact, all across the country.
“WorkSafe and the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health are working hard to reduce the injury and death toll in all areas of the agriculture industry,” Mr Kavanagh said.
“The Commission has established an Agriculture Working Group, which includes agricultural representatives, and works to improve safety on WA farms,” he said.
He said an urgent Farm Safety Summit had been initiated to discuss workplace safety issues in the agriculture sector with the major players in the industry.
“In addition, WorkSafe’s website includes useful resources for the agriculture industry in general, and quad bikes in particular,” Mr Kavanagh said.
