WorkSafe WA is investigating a quad bike-related death in the Shire of Dandaragan last week. Photo: File.
WorkSafe is investigating the death of a 22-year-old woman on a farming property two hours north of Perth in Western Australia.
She was reported to have been mustering cattle on a quad bike in the Shire of Dandaragan when the bike rolled on Wednesday (4 October).
The incident caused fatal injuries and the woman died, triggering an investigation into the circumstances of her death by WorkSafe Western Australia.
WorkSafe investigations are conducted with a view to ensuring compliance and preventing future incidents of a similar nature.
Acting WorkSafe commissioner Sally North said any work-related death was a tragedy and relayed her sincere condolences to the woman’s family and other workers at the farm.
“The recent Independent Inquiry into Safety in the Agricultural Industry found that between 2017/18 and 2021/22, five workers died on WA farms in incidents involving quad bikes,” she said.
Safe Work Australia has the following advice to eliminate or minimise risks associated with using quad bikes:
- Flat, stable terrain is best for quad bikes. You increase risk by riding them on rocky, steep, uneven, sandy or muddy terrain.
- Avoid towing attachments or carrying loads if possible. You could make your quad bike unstable and lose control. Avoiding these reduces the risk of rollover accidents.
- Always wear a helmet that fits well when riding a quad bike. If you ride on a public road, you must wear a helmet that meets the requirements for on-road and off-road use.
- Side-by-side vehicles or ‘two-seater quad bikes’ commonly use roll-over protective structures which enclose the operator. They are used with driver/passenger restraints, usually seat belts.
- Use active riding techniques to help you stay stable in rough terrain, including shifting your body weight appropriately when cornering and going up and down hills, keeping both hands on the handlebars and keeping both feet on the footrests. Some riders may not be able to use an active riding technique or maintain it for extended periods. Be mindful it can cause fatigue.
- Operator protection devices are required to be fitted to new general use quad bikes and imported, second-hand, general-use quad bikes. They reduce the risk of serious crush injuries and deaths if a quad bike rolls over. You should not remove the devices. If you remove them, you must replace them with something that would provide equivalent or greater protection.
More quad bike safety resources are available on Safe Work Australia’s website and WorkSafe WA’s website.
